Chris Livingston signs first-of-its-kind NIL partnership with Lids

Kentucky freshman Chris Livingston has signed a first-of-its-kind NIL collaboration with Lids as part of a team-up with KLUTCH Sports Group, one of several up-and-coming names in basketball. Livingston is one of five student-athletes featured in the partnership, joining Brea Beal, Dereck Lively II, Nick Smith Jr., and JuJu Watkins.

Athletes involved were given creative freedom to design their own custom embroidery and had the opportunity to work with the Lids design team to bring their personal style to life.

“To join forces with KLUTCH Sports Group on an innovative partnership for both of our companies is incredibly exciting,” said Lawrence Berger, Co-Founder and Partner at Ames Watson, owner of Lids, and Chairman of FanzzLids Holdings. “They’re the preeminent name in sports representation and the perfect partner for this endeavor. We’re proud to have these young men and women, the future of basketball, as part of the Lids family as they excel on and off the court for years to come.”

The exclusive product collaboration, which will be available in stores with embroidery machines across the country, goes on sale beginning November 2^nd with Livingston’s design. From there, each week through November 23^rd will feature the debut of a new student-athlete’s design. A complete schedule of the rollout can be found below.

• Week 1: Chris Livingston (November 2)
• Week 2: Dereck Lively II (November 9)
• Week 3 Brea Beal (November 16)
• Week 4: Nick Smith Jr. (November 21) and JuJu Watkins (November 23)

“We’re proud to represent these student-athletes as they pursue NIL opportunities across the board,” said Rich Paul, Founder and CEO KLUTCH Sports Group. “For our first collaboration of the sort to be authentic to the sports world and to do it with a brand as iconic as Lids, we couldn’t be prouder. This partnership allows our athletes to showcase and embrace their creativity, while also approaching the business of NIL in a holistic and meaningful way.”

Livingston’s design is set to represent his family, his hometown of Akron, OH and how he grew up.

The five-star signee partnered with KLUTCH Sports back in April, joining the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, John Wall and Tyrese Maxey in the agency.

About Lids

Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across North America, Europe and Australia through over 1,500 retail locations. Indianapolis-based Lids Sports Group carries officially licensed and branded gear aimed at empowering customers to represent their unique and individual style, team, passion and fun. Lids Sports Group operates stores under the Lids, Locker Room by Lids, Fanzz, Yankees Clubhouse Shops, Dodgers Clubhouse, Cardinals Clubhouse, and numerous other nameplates. Lids also counts the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA), and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) as partners as it runs several of each league and team’s respective U.S. and international Flagship store locations. Lids also has locations within select Macy’s department stores nationwide. To find a retail location near you visit blog.lids.com or join the #LidsLoyal on Instagram (@lids), Facebook (@lids), Twitter (@lids), or LinkedIn.

About KLUTCH Sports Group

Founded in 2012 by CEO Rich Paul, KLUTCH Sports Group is a premier agency representing some of the world’s biggest athletes across major professional sports. Minority-owned and women-led, KLUTCH’s unique, 360 approach helps clients at any stage of their career maximize opportunities across the rapidly changing entertainment, media and business landscape, and provides strategic support in partnerships, branding, communications, social responsibility and more.  With proven expertise in the intersections of sports, entertainment and culture, KLUTCH connects top teams, major leagues and properties with global brands. In 2019 KLUTCH partnered with UTA, and in April, KLUTCH was recognized on TIME Magazine’s first-ever list of TIME100 Most Influential Companies.

UTA is a leading global talent and entertainment company that represents many of the most acclaimed figures across film, television, news, music, sports, speakers, theater, fine art, literature, video games, podcasts and other social and digital content. The company also is recognized in the areas of film finance and packaging, branding, licensing and endorsements, and is known for its dedicated digital media group.