LMU's Dominick Harris wants to help teammates, others through NIL

After spending three seasons at Gonzaga before transferring within the West Coast Conference to Loyola Marymount, rising redshirt junior guard Dominick Harris called it “breathtaking” to play for one of the sport’s most dominant programs. His time in Spokane, Washington, included the Bulldogs’ run to the national championship game and the start of the NCAA’s NIL era.

He arrived at Gonzaga in the same recruiting class as Jalen Suggs and Julian Strawther. As a high school recruit at Rancho Christian School in Temecula, California, Harris was a four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class who was ranked No. 65 nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Suggs and Strawther were drafted fifth and 29th in the 2021 and 2023 NBA Drafts, respectively. Their freshman season culminated in a national runner-up finish to Baylor in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

The NIL era kicked off three months later.

Two seasons after Baylor and Gonzaga played for a national championship, they faced off last winter in a non-conference game that was branded as the “Peacock Classic.” The game was exclusively available on Peacock, whose sponsors paid players from both teams through NIL deals if they chose to opt into campaigns through NBCUniversal‘s NIL program NBC Sports Athlete Direct.

“It was a great learning experience for me,” Harris said in an interview. “I was able to find myself more through the process and also just get better and make relationships that’ll last forever as well. My teammates – we still talk to this day and the NIL aspect was crazy being one of the winningest programs. It was just a really good learning experience for me, just as far as every aspect of life, with basketball and without.”

Harris now hopes to bring his basketball, business and branding experience to his new program.

“I feel like this helps as far as entering an upstart program like LMU,” said Deshaun Harris, who’s Dominick Harris’s older brother and the founder and CEO of the Intrusive Sports Agency that represents the Loyola Marymount guard. “They’ve had the most success that they’ve had in the WCC in recent years. They’re trying to (reach) the St. Mary’s, Gonzaga level. And having someone who’s not only experienced winning at that level, but also NIL at that level, you’re able to share that with your teammates and how to deal with brands and how to deal with different opportunities.

“That ultimately grows the school as well.”

Emphasizing creating pathways through basketball

Harris played in 38 games at Gonzaga, including averaging seven minutes per game in 25 appearances as a freshman. He redshirted his sophomore season after suffering a foot injury.

Harris has entered into NIL agreements with Brady Brand and Suja Organic where he has received products in exchange for social media posts. He recently agreed to a deal with professional tennis player Naomi Osaka‘s skincare brand KINLÒ.

“What’s important to me is probably their passion for what they’re into,” Harris said. “I want to make sure I’m partnering with somebody who’s very passionate and very able to reach out to the right audience. That’s necessary for what I want to do as well.”

Harris has received compensation through NIL deals with Cuts Clothing and the health company Force Factor. He opted into the “Peacock Classic” NIL opportunities through NBC Sports Athlete Direct, which also provided the opportunity for Harris to promote the film “Shooting Stars,” which is about LeBron James‘s childhood.

“As far as the NIL aspect, I’m just telling them like, ‘Create more pathways as far as basketball,'” Harris said of what he’s telling his new teammates. “‘Open yourself up. Create as many pathways as you can and leave as many marks and impacts as you can since this is a big opportunity for us athletes. We can take control of our own image.’

“So as far as NIL, I’m trying to just give them little comments here and there and advice. And then on the basketball side, just coming from a winning program, all of the habits and details are there so just carrying those details and sharing them with my teammates.”

Dominick Harris cites ‘how they celebrate minority success’

While attending Gonzaga, Harris agreed to an NIL deal with the Spokane-based gastropub Cascadia Public House, which allowed him to create a recipe for a chicken sandwich called “The Dominator.”

“I really got in the kitchen and cooked it all,” Harris said. “Before I was able to put it out, they asked me to come in, cook it, taste it and see how everything was. It was beautiful.”

Ironically, Dominick Harris didn’t eat chicken sandwiches for “a huge part of his life,” according to Deshaun Harris, who estimated that his brother’s self-imposed dietary restriction lasted for six or seven years.

“I would probably say since maybe he was in like third or fourth grade,” Deshaun Harris said. “He saw Ray Allen mentioned that he only eats In-N-Out on road trips. That’s it, and that’s the only time he’d ever eat a burger. Dominick was just like, ‘Man if I’m passionate for the game, I’m going to do the same thing as Ray Allen.'”

After the chicken sandwich hiatus ended, Dominick Harris asked where he could find one in Spokane. His brother provided options throughout the city. Harris chose Cascadia Public House based on how its owners run the restaurant and “how they celebrate minority success.”

The partnership started in August 2022 and recently ended, according to Deshaun Harris.

“(Co-owners) Jordan Smith and Robby (Hatch) were very passionate about giving back to Spokane, especially people in need there,” Deshaun Harris said. “Especially people that look like us as well. For Dominick, I feel like in that deal with Cascadia – he’s been able to really demonstrate a sense of social responsibility and a desire to give back and really just a dedication to use his influence and resources to benefit others.”

Harris received 15% of the sales from “The Dominator” and 5% was earmarked for initiatives in the Spokane community. In collaboration with Cascadia Public House, Harris made a $1,000 donation to the Carl Maxey Center in honor of its late founder Sandy Williams, and another donation to Little Scholars Development Center, which lists cultural awareness among its philosophies. The Carl Maxey Center’s website describes the organization as a Spokane-based “Black-led and Black-centered non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Williams was an activist who also founded the independent monthly newspaper “Black Lens.”

“To be able to do that and just give back, it was special,” Deshaun Harris said. “It was really fun. I feel like that’s kind of the essence of NIL, like no matter what level you’re on, no matter how much you’re getting paid.

“To be able to have some creativity, do something fun but also give back to people you love is, I think, the recipe for success in NIL.”