Arizona women's basketball star Maya Nnaji has slam Dunkin’ NIL deal

Maya Nnaji – the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Arizona women’s basketball program – has a sweet new NIL deal.

The 6-foot-4 true freshman forward from Hopkins (Minnesota) High School, announced Tuesday she’s executed a NIL partnership with Dunkin’.

“Excited to announce that I’m teaming up with Dunkin’,” Nnaji said in an Instagram post tagged “sprinkled with love.”

Nnaji told the Arizona Daily Star she was excited about her first NIL deal. She is one of 30 student-athletes to make up the donut chain’s latest ad campaign. She brought her team donuts last week, including her favorite strawberry sprinkles, and announced Dunkin’ deal to them.

“I love donuts,” Nnaji told the Daily Star. “This is the first NIL deal for me. It’s a blessing.”

A former five-star recruit, Nnaji arrived at Arizona for the 2022-2023 basketball season as a McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American. Through six games so far, Nnaji is averaging 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and she’s shooting 70% from the field.

Nnaji was a force inside in high school, as she averaged 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore and 24.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a junior. Following the 2021 season, Nnaji was named Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Player of the year.

Her brother, Zeke Nnaji, was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a first-round pick in his lone season at Arizona.

Maya Nnaji building brand for NIL

Nnaji has a strong social media presence of more than 23,000 followers, including more than 14,100 on Instagram. She has an On3 NIL Valuation of $24,000 – a total that has seen a 52% uptick since the start of the women’s basketball season.

“All my hard work is paying off,” Nnaji told the Daily Star. “Hopefully, it’s just the first of many and I’m able to start using this platform that I’m getting to amplify my voice for community service.”

Nnaji is also working with former UA women’s basketball standout Danielle Adefeso, who is the founder and CEO of Elevated Sports Group, a sports management company.

Dunkin’ launches national NIL campaign

Nnaji deal with Dunkin’ was part of a national campaign that incorporates NIL deals across 24 different institutions.

The nationwide coffee chain has signed NIL agreements with the entire Northwestern field hockey team, plus athletes from 23 other schools. There are 48 athletes in total, including 25 from Northwestern. Learfield played a role in bringing the deals to athletes, along with the assistance of its marketplace partner Opendorse.

As On3’s Pete Nakos reported, because Learfield is the media rights holder for these schools, athletes will execute their deals while wearing their school colors and logos. This is an example of brand tapping into a major swath of talent while monetizing an institution’s IP.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

The On3 NIL Valuation is a proprietary algorithm that calculates the projected annual value of high school and college athletes’ marketability in the NIL ecosystem. It includes a student-athlete’s brand value and roster value, which incorporate their respective value to third-party sponsorship opportunities and to their team. The latter factors in the influence of NIL collectives, which are organizations ranging from marketing agencies to nonprofit organizations that facilitate NIL deals.