
Endorsements from major NBA stars are fairly common; the great Michael Jordan and Nike, as does LeBron James, spring to mind. He has many endorsements, including Beats headphones, Crypto.com, GMC, and PepsiCo. That has helped him become one of the sport’s biggest earners, and his profile as a top player in the world’s best league helps drive that popularity.
That’s why it’s a surprise to see a college player making waves in the world of product advertising. Robbie Avila plays for Indiana State, and due to his size and playing style, he’s been labeled as the College Jokić after Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić. With impressive stats in his sophomore season, namely averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, he helped Indiana State to a 32–7 record and an appearance in the NIT final.
The College Jokić isn’t the only nickname he’s picked up. He’s also been given the nickname the Cream Abdul-Jabbar, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the six-time NBA Champion. It’s a big nickname to pick up, but it’s not based on his play style but rather his general style. Abdul-Jabbar was known for wearing goggles on the court, which he began doing in 1974 due to a scratched cornea in a game against the Celtics. He became known for his eyewear, something that is also the case with Avila. The name, image, and likeness business is huge in college sports, and Avila revealed several leading brands have been chasing him since his recent form.
“NIL is huge now!” Avila told TMZ Sports. “It’s a really big thing with college sports. Obviously, I’ve had a couple of eyewear companies reach out to kinda brand with my goggles. Being able to take full advantage of this is, you know, something I’m able to do here.”
The 6ft 10in giant revealed that two brands have reached out, Oakley and Rec Specs, with a third pursuing him after he went viral. Oakley has a history in the NBA, and the glasses he wore during his last season with Indiana State certainly resembled the famous sports brand’s designs.
Oakley has a long history of collaborating with athletes across various sports, including basketball. While they are best known for their presence in sports like cycling and skiing, basketball stars have been spotted wearing Oakley sunglasses. One notable example is Michael Jordan, known to wear Oakley sunglasses off the court, contributing to the brand’s popularity among basketball enthusiasts. He was a fan of the X Metal Romeo model, released in the late nineties, which has just had a rerelease.
Another basketball icon associated with Oakley is Dennis Rodman. The NBA icon was known to be flamboyant and expressive, and he was one of the first athletes to wear the futuristic ‘over-the-head’ model, both eye-catching and stylish at the time. Avila will surely opt for something a little more conventional, but there’s certainly precedent with Oakley should he choose their brand.
Whatever happens in the future, Avila may have caught the eye through what he has on his eyes, but he’ll be keeping his eyes on a career in the NBA. Given his form for Indiana State, there are high hopes the Illinois-born center could go all the way to the All-Star team and become an NBA Champion.