Kentucky high school target Tay Kinney announces partnership with adidas

One of Kentucky’s top high school targets is joining the three stripes family.

On Wednesday, adidas announced its eight-person 2025 high school NIL class. Among the players entering into deals with the well-known sporting brand is 2026 four-star point guard Tay Kinney, who hails from Newport, KY, and currently plays for Overtime Elite (which is sponsored by adidas) in Atlanta. On the AAU circuit, Kinney suits up for Wildcat Select on the adidas 3SSB circuit, so this partnership isn’t a huge surprise.

But Kinney isn’t the only new adidas representative being recruited by Kentucky. Class of 2026 five-stars Caleb Holt and Anthony Thompson are joining adidas, as well. On the women’s side, 2026 five-star guard Kate Harpring, who was offered by Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks last May, is also part of the class.

“This Class of 2025 features a dynamic group of young stars who are not only top performers on the court, but also cultural leaders off of it,” adidas wrote in its press release. “These athletes join adidas through a partnership designed to propel them to success on and off the court, building on the legacy of our 3SSB platform and the broader adidas Basketball ecosystem.”

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Will this move impact Kinney’s overall recruitment? He’s being recruited heavily by plenty of adidas schools, including the Louisville Cardinals. Kentucky is a Nike school, but we’ve seen instances of high school players signing with one shoe brand before ultimately landing at a school represented by another brand.

It’s certainly something for UK fans to monitor, though, not only regarding Kinney, but also with Holt, Thompson, and Harpring.