Kansas junior Christian Braun has joined the likes of Gianni Versace, Michael Kors and many others in creating his own fashion line with his name on it.
KU’s second-leading scorer unveiled The CB2 Collection on social media on Tuesday, complete with photos of his new gear and a note thanking fans for their support.
Braun’s merchandise — T-Shirts and hoodies — is available [on the website www.braun2.com][1], with prices ranging from $29.95 for shirts to $49.95 for the hoodie. All of the gear features Braun’s name, jersey number (2) and replica signature along with a silhouette of Braun throwing up three fingers to the crowd, presumably after draining a 3-pointer.
The website also features actual images of Braun in action but all references to Kansas, KU and the Jayhawk have been removed.
Braun is the latest Kansas basketball player to jump into the apparel game made possible by the NCAA clearing the way for college athletes to profit on their name, image and likeness starting July 1 of 2021.
Red-shirt forward Cam Martin started his own apparel line last summer and Braun teammates Mitch Lightfoot, Chris Teahan, Ochai Agbaji and others also have profited from the sale of T-Shirts bearing their names. This fall, KU plans to release a jersey program tied to the Kansas football team.
Last week, [KU Athletic Director Travis Goff said that KU’s NIL deals from July 1, 2021 through the end of January had reached nearly $500,000 in total.][2] That included an average of just over $2,700 per deal and at least one athlete from all 17 scholarship sports programs KU offers. Thus far, the endeavor has spanned 86 players and 174 deals and put more than 40 different KU merchandise items tied to NIL opportunities into the market.
Goff said the average per deal was inflated a little by the number of five-figure men’s basketball deals. He also noted that no KU athlete had signed a six-figure deal to date.
Braun’s apparel line is not likely to change that, but it could be profitable as the junior from Burlington is definitely a fan favorite and one of the most popular current Jayhawks.
https://twitter.com/Ballin25Braun/status/1493663371736068105
[1]: https://braun2.com/collections/shop
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2022/feb/10/ku-ad-travis-goff-reports-nearly-500000-nil-deals-/
