Adidas Signs First High School Basketball Player
In a groundbreaking move within the landscape of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals filtering into the prep ranks, global sportswear giant Adidas has achieved a significant milestone. adidas and high school junior Darryn Peterson have jointly announced a historic NIL partnership, marking Peterson as the first-ever prep player to sign with the renowned sportswear company.
The announcement was shared through collaborative posts on social media, with the 16-year-old Peterson expressing his pride in joining the ranks of elite athletes associated with Adidas. In a statement, Peterson remarked, “I’m extremely proud to join an elite group of athletes with Adidas. I look forward to working with the team as I embark on this pivotal moment in my career.”
Adidas has previously formed partnerships with select college athletes, including notable names such as Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., top wide receiver Rome Odunze, LSU star Hailey Van Lith, and Hansel Enmanuel of Austin Peay, among others.
Eric Wise, Adidas basketball’s global general manager, commented on the signing, stating, “Darryn is an all-star athlete and at such a young age embodies what Adidas Basketball is all about. We cannot wait to see what the future holds and welcome him into the 3 Stripe family.”
Peterson, recognized as the top guard in the class of 2025, won’t formally sign a letter-of-intent until at least November of the following year. Presently a junior at Huntington Prep in Huntington, W.V., Peterson previously played for Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Ohio, where he garnered attention for his impressive statistics, including an average of 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 assists. As a sophomore, he was a finalist for the Ohio Mr. Basketball Award.
The move to Huntington was strategic, as high school athletes can leverage NIL opportunities in West Virginia, unlike in Ohio. Peterson, a five-star prospect, has already garnered interest from a multitude of prominent college basketball programs. In September, he narrowed down his prospective schools to a list of 16, including basketball powerhouses like Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA, among others.
Adding an additional layer of complexity to his future, Peterson also has the option to explore the G League route, potentially playing with the Ignite team for a year before declaring for the NBA Draft.
