Kansas center Hunter Dickinson joins adidas’ NIL ambassador network

For the last three years, Hunter Dickinson played with the Nike swoosh on his chest. It’s the only brand he’s repped playing college basketball.

But the center entered the transfer portal this past offseason, leaving Michigan and picking Kansas after capturing the college basketball world’s attention throughout the process. Dickinson’s commitment was one of the most followed decisions in recent memory.

He was looking for a school that would help his maturation into an NBA prospect. But he was also outspoken about his want to secure more NIL deals, stating on his podcast this spring he earned less than six figures at Michigan.

Now in Lawrence, Kansas, and a member of Bill Self’s program, he’s at a prominent adidas school. Dickinson has now added an NIL deal with the sneaker brand, announcing the deal on Instagram.

Adidas is one of the leading spenders in the NIL space through its nationwide program. Operating in a significantly different way than other sports brands, all athletes at Division I institutions can partner with adidas. Launched last fall with athletes at Power 5 schools and HBCUs, it’s become one of the largest marketing campaigns in college sports.

Run through the sports marketing agency Postgame, adidas has been able to work with some of the top athletes in college sports and place them as a central piece of major sneaker releases. LSU guard Hailey Van Lith was one of the leading athletes of adidas’ Exhibit SELECT sneaker campaign in June. Dickinson could be one of the sneaker giant’s leading athletes this upcoming season.

On top of being compensated for joining the program and posting on social media, the Kansas center will have an opportunity to earn commission for sales he drives to adidas. 

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How NIL factored into Hunter Dickinson’s decision

Before transferring to Kansas this spring, the 7-foot-1 center only had a small portion of publicly announced NIL deals. Those included Cameo, Engage and Outback Steakhouse. Thanks to the one-time transfer rule, Dickinson was able to enter the portal and explore options.

What he found was a high-stakes world with a multitude of cash options. What once started described as the “Wild, Wild West” has become the norm. Collectives have made it simple for top-level donors and the average fan to pool funds together. According to ESPN, Dickinson’s minimum earning potential was $500,000.

Days before he committed to Kansas, Maryland reportedly made a $2 million offer because it got “energized, motivated and pissed off.”

Since arriving in Lawrence, he’s signed with the Kansas-focused collective Mass St. Through the organization, he was one of 11 of KU’s top stars in football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball featured on JD Motorsports driver Brennan Poole’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race car this summer.

How Hunter Dickinson fits at KU

A three-time All-Big Ten selection at Michigan, he earned second-team All-American honors in 2021. Through three seasons with the Wolverines, he averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, which led Michigan in points and rebounds.

Now he’ll finish his college basketball career in the Big 12 at Kansas, which has already started showing up at No. 1 in preseason polls. Self will have to find ways to incorporate Dickinson into his system, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Versatile on offense, he also was part of a Michigan team that had the second-best defense in the Big Ten during conference play a year ago.

Self has continued to heap praise on the big man,

“He is the most prepared-to-produce player we’ve ever recruited,” Self told ESPN in June. “No one has ever arrived here better prepared to produce or receive accolades.”