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Alabama freshman JD Davison files to trademark logo

Nakos updated headshotby:Pete Nakos•08/17/21•

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JD Davison
The Alabama point guard has field to trademark his logo. (Icon Sportswire/Getty Images)

Alabama point guard JD Davison has filed to trademark his own logo, just the latest in college basketball players entering the Name, Image and Likeness era. Action Network’s Darren Rovell was the first to report on the logo.

The freshman still has not played a game yet for the Crimson Tide, but the class of 2021 five-star recruit picked Alabama over Auburn, Michigan, Kansas, LSU and Memphis.

The No. 1 prospect out of Alabama, he grew up roughly two hours away from Tuscaloosa in Letohatchee. The third-ranked point guard in the nation, he played high school basketball at Calhoun High School and led his team to the state semifinals in his final season, scoring 45 points in his final high school game. He averaged 32.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists as a senior at Calhoun.

Even though his collegiate career hasn’t officially started, Davison’s name has already landed on early 2022 mock drafts. The freshman point guard walks into a program that is going to run an up-tempo, pro-style screen attack. And he proved at the Iverson Classic that he can run a similar offense. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard has the potential to be one-and-done.

Alabama point guard JD Davison has filed to trademark his logo before the start of his college career. (Darren Rovell/Twitter)

NIL in college basketball

The push for Name, Image and Likeness legislation was heavily-focused on college football in June, but now that it is legal it is starting to make an impact in college basketball.

Davisons’ trademark request of his logo could mark the beginning of many elite college basketball players preparing to have their brands in place before the start of their NBA careers.

NIL is making an impact on recruiting, too. As On3’s Eric Prisbell previously reported, Jalen Duren’s decision to reclassify to the 2021 class and play at Memphis was heavily impacted by Name, Image and Likeness. NIL potential for the elite of the elites like Duren looms as the enticing new variable. It not only enhances the allure of college athletics but in some cases is motivating athletes to fast-track their arrival on campus.

Duren told On3’s Joe Tipton that the NIL era has “eliminated the money factor”and “leveled the playing field” because it has enabled some athletes to make more money in college than they would otherwise by signing with the G-League or Australia’s NBL.