High school basketball recruit Mikey Williams signs multi-year sneaker deal

The new name, image and likeness rules in college sports are starting to trickle down to high school prospects.

Five-star recruit Mikey Williams, 17, has signed a multiyear sneaker deal with PUMA. He is the first high schooler in the United State to sign a shoe deal with a global brand.

BREAKING: PUMA has announced a multiyear endorsement deal with 17 year-old, five-star prospect Mikey Williams — making him one of the youngest basketball athletes to sign with a global footwear company. pic.twitter.com/4MCmySa8C3

— Boardroom (@boardroom) October 28, 2021

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard is from San Diego, but he currently attends Vertical Academy in Huntersville, N.C. His father founded the new school.

The 2023 prospect holds offers from 30 schools, including basketball blue bloods like Kansas and UCLA plus additional offers including USC, Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee. Many believe he will skip college and go straight to a professional league to prepare for the NBA. He is not eligible for the NBA draft until 2024.

Additionally, Williams has over five million social media followers between Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter, which makes him a very attractive option for endorsement deals. He has already signed with sports representation agency Excel Sports management, the first high schooler to do so. 

“The NIL rules provide a new opportunity for someone like me who that has put in so much energy and effort into building a community,” Williams told ESPN in a statement about Excel Sports. “I am excited to be the first high school athlete to make this move. I love to hoop and I love engaging with my fans and look forward to continuing to share my journey with everyone.”

Williams already has an NFT

Earlier this month, Williams joined forces with I Got It to offer a Charter Membership NFT on its platform. Those that purchase the NFT can purchase future NFTs as Williams career progresses.

“I Got It has enabled me to deliver a revolutionary NFT product to my fans, Williams said. “I want to share in the upside in my career with my fans and NFT investors that share my optimism for a long and great career.”

The initial NFT can be found at mikey-nft.com.

What is an NFT?

NFT, or a non-fungible token, is a product sold digitally and authenticated. With a blockchain, or digital database, NFT’s are a highly exclusive way to get virtual products related to celebrities, athletes and more.

One of the recently popular NFTs to come to fruition was inspired by the late Kobe Bryant – the KB24 NFT on Bryant’s personal website.

Ten thousand lucky fans will be able to purchase the KB24 NFTs. Since the NFT is unique and limited, it makes each one more exclusive and rarer.

Williams’ team is following the same format as the KB24 NFT, using a discord group to raise notoriety and boost the stock of the NFT before it is even released.

On3’s KJ Smith contributed to this report.