Powerade inks NIL deals with UConn's Alex Karaban, Arizona's Caleb Love, NC State's Saniya Rivers

Last season, Powerade took a big step into the college basketball space by signing LSU star Flau’jae Johnson to an NIL deal. The company ramped things up this month.

UConn forward Alex Karaban, Arizona guard Caleb Love and NC State guard Saniya Rivers all signed NIL deals to join Powerade’s athlete roster. They announced their partnerships on their respective social media pages and will continue to be part of marketing efforts throughout the season.

In addition, the trio will be part of Powerade’s “It Takes More To Get This Far” campaign, which will launch in February 2025 and carry through March Madness. Karaban, Love and Rivers will also be featured in advertising and appear at events as part of their partnerships.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by POWERADE (@powerade_us)

Powerade signed Johnson and former USC guard Isaiah Collier to NIL deals last year, which marked one of its first major forays into the college basketball space. The company has worked with Altius Sports to put together its NIL strategy and is continuing to build out its basketball roster as the season rolls along.

Powerade makes another investment in college basketball

Powerade’s latest additions to its athlete roster add plenty of star power, bringing in three top names in men’s and women’s basketball.

Alex Karaban is one of the highest-profile players in men’s college basketball through his third season at UConn. On the court, he leads the Huskies with 15.6 points and 1.8 blocks per game while also adding 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists on average.

Karaban also has plenty of NIL potential. He has an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.8 million, which ranks No. 4 in the men’s college basketball NIL rankings.

Caleb Love – in his second year at Arizona – is also one of the biggest names in the sport. His 13.3 points per game lead the Wildcats through the first part of the year, and he’s coming off a career year in 2023-24 when he averaged 18 points after transferring from North Carolina.

Back for another season, Love has capitalized in the NIL space. He notably announced a jersey number change after re-upping with the Arizona-focused NIL collective, Arizona Assist Club.

Now in her third season at NC State after transferring from South Carolina, Saniya Rivers is in the midst of a strong follow-up to her impressive junior season. Through 11 games, she’s averaging 12 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds. Her 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game are also the best on the Wolf Pack roster en route to an 8-3 start.

Rivers joins Flau’jae Johnson as women’s basketball players on Powerade’s athlete rosters. It marks one of her first major NIL deals after previously partnering with McDonald’s and Pack of Wolves – which later combined with Savage Wolves to form One Pack NIL.