Paige Bueckers Tops Paige Bueckers to Become August NIL Merch Leader

That is not a typo, Paige Bueckers home and away jerseys were the top two most bought jerseys on the NIL Store Network last month

Noah Henderson | Sep 17, 2024

Mar 10, 2024; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after her three point basket against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

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UConn Huskies

There is no question about who the most influential women’s college basketball player is right now. UConn’s Paige Bueckers has captivated fans in Storrs and across the nation since her incredible freshman campaign in the 2022-23 season that culminated in AP Player of the Year honors. Outside of an unfortunate ACL injury in her junior season, she has not slowed down one bit. In the post-Clark women’s college basketball era, Bueckers remains atop the sport and always in the spotlight.

Last week, the NIL Store Network, an arm of Campus Ink that provides co-branded NIL merchandise for student-athletes across the college sports ecosystem at over seventy universities, released their top ten selling jerseys for August. Bueckers claimed both top spots, with her home jersey reigning supreme and her away jersey placing second.

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With college football hype ramping up throughout August, college football players intuitively dominated the rest of the list, which makes Paige Bueckers out of season merch sales even more impressive. Claiming the third spot was Colorado Receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., and in fourth was Michigan State’s highly anticipated QB transfer Aiden Chiles.

While we can expect Bueckers' merch to continue to move units, especially during basketball season, it will be interesting to see if her jersey remains the most sought-after in the nation. Duke maintains a partnership with the NIL Store, and if generational prospect and sure-fire first overall 2025 NBA draft selection Cooper Flagg is to sign with the merchandise group, Bueckers’ number one position may be in jeopardy. Until then, little competition exists to dethrone Bueckers as the gold standard in NIL merchandise.

Published Sep 17, 2024

NOAH HENDERSON

Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness.