Female Student-Athletes Who Make the Most NIL Money
CCS Pictures / Wikimedia Commons
In 2021, it became legal for student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). So, while schools still can’t pay their athletes, companies can and definitely do to have these young talents represent their brands.
And it’s not just taking off for male athletes. Female athletes are also cashing in on some serious endorsement deals, earning them millions in the process. Here are the ones who earn the most.
3. Paige Bueckers – $1 Million
School: UConn
Sport: Basketball
No. of social media followers: 2.8 million
Note: Valuation numbers were sourced from an On3 report and are current through April 2024.
Bottom Line: Paige Bueckers
Ranked as the No. 1 recruit for the class of 2019 by ESPN, Paige Bueckers has lived up to her nickname “Paige Buckets,” becoming the first freshman to ever earn a major national women’s college player of the year award. In fact, she earned all four she was eligible for, including the 2021 AP Player of the Year and 2021 Naismith College Player of the Year. This was the same year that she also helped lead UConn to the Final Four, setting program records for assists by a freshman.
She led the team to the Final Four again in 2024 as a junior and announced she’ll be back for her senior year, even though she was predicted to be a top-three pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
2. Flau’jae Johnson – $1.2 Million
School: LSU
Sport: Basketball
No. of social media followers: 3.4 million
Bottom Line: Flau’jae Johnson
Flau’jae Johnson started playing basketball at LSU in 2022 and had a knockout freshman year, helping her team win its first national championship and being named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year. She was also a McDonald’s All-American in 2022.
Her massive social media following has earned her NIL deals with Puma, Meta and Taco Bell, among other big-name brands.