{"id":14232,"date":"2025-05-27T12:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T18:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ouf.jhy.mybluehost.me\/?p=14232"},"modified":"2025-05-29T13:20:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T19:20:35","slug":"karl-kani-signs-state-champion-king-kendrick-to-groundbreaking-nil-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232","title":{"rendered":"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Streetwear pioneer Karl Kani<\/a>, renowned for shaping hip-hop fashion and breaking barriers as the first non-sportswear brand on NBA courts, is once again rewriting the playbook\u2014this time at the intersection of sports, fashion, and youth culture. In a landmark move, Kani has signed state champion high school basketball phenom King Kendrick<\/a> to a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal, in partnership with Overtime Sports Management Group<\/a> (OSMG).<\/p>\n

This signing marks the first time the Karl Kani brand has entered the NIL space, signaling a new chapter in how athlete identity is cultivated and expressed. Kani, who has been dubbed the \u201cGodfather of Urban Streetwear,\u201d built his reputation outfitting hip-hop legends and NBA stars, and now brings that legacy to the next generation of athletes.<\/p>\n

King Kendrick<\/a>, a standout point guard from Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio, is known for his fluid, ambidextrous style of play\u2014a skill set that has already caught the attention of NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving. At a recent All-Star weekend press conference, Irving cited Kendrick by name, noting that the future of basketball will demand players who are truly ambidextrous to compete at the highest level.<\/p>\n

The “90s Kid” Campaign: Where Sport Meets Culture<\/h2>\n

To launch the King x Kani partnership, the brand has produced the “90s Kid” campaign, enlisting celebrity photographer Carell Augustus\u2014best known for his acclaimed “Black Hollywood” book project\u2014to capture visuals that blend classic streetwear aesthetics with contemporary athleticism. Augustus\u2019s work, celebrated for its positive representation of Black culture and reimagining of iconic moments, brings a fresh, culturally resonant lens to the campaign.<\/p>\n

Karl Kani\u2019s involvement in the partnership goes beyond traditional sponsorship. As investor, mentor, stylist, and creator, Kani is actively shaping the narrative around King Kendrick\u2019s brand\u2014mentoring the young athlete not only in fashion but in personal branding and cultural impact. This hands-on approach reflects Kani\u2019s own journey from Brooklyn\u2019s streets to international fashion stardom, and his commitment to empowering the next wave of talent.<\/p>\n

This collaboration represents a shift in how athlete identity is built in the NIL era. By aligning with a designer whose influence transcends fashion and touches music, sport, and culture, King Kendrick\u2019s partnership with Karl Kani sets a precedent for authentic, multidimensional athlete branding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Streetwear pioneer Karl Kani, renowned for shaping hip-hop fashion and breaking barriers as the first non-sportswear brand on…","protected":false},"author":219894228,"featured_media":14245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","pad_hide_post_author":"","csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1408,1364,1455],"tags":[1688,1684,1370,1637,5217,5218,1771,4852,1428,3265],"class_list":{"0":"post-14232","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"category-fashion","9":"category-sports","10":"tag-athletes","11":"tag-basketball","12":"tag-fashion","13":"tag-footwear","14":"tag-karl-kani","15":"tag-king-kendrick","16":"tag-nil","17":"tag-nil-deal","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-streetwear","20":"cs-entry","21":"cs-video-wrap"},"yoast_head":"\nKarl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Streetwear pioneer Karl Kani, renowned for shaping hip-hop fashion and breaking barriers as the first non-sportswear brand on…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Footwear Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/footwearmagazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-27T18:18:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-29T19:20:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alyssa J. Mann\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@footwearmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@footwearmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alyssa J. Mann\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alyssa J. Mann\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b760cb6dcd1f2125aa9278db583c932b\"},\"headline\":\"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-27T18:18:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-29T19:20:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\"},\"wordCount\":391,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"athletes\",\"basketball\",\"Fashion\",\"footwear\",\"Karl Kani\",\"King Kendrick\",\"NIL\",\"NIL Deal\",\"Sports\",\"Streetwear\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\",\"Fashion\",\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\",\"name\":\"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-27T18:18:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-29T19:20:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b760cb6dcd1f2125aa9278db583c932b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1620},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/\",\"name\":\"Footwear Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b760cb6dcd1f2125aa9278db583c932b\",\"name\":\"Alyssa J. Mann\",\"description\":\"Alyssa Jade is a international fashion stylist and trend reporter based in Vancouver, Canada. Renowned for her versatile and expansive portfolio, Alyssa has collaborated with a diverse array of professionals, including athletes, political figures, television hosts, and business leaders. Her styling expertise extends across commercial campaigns, fashion editorials, music videos, television productions, fashion shows, and bridal fashion.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alyssajademann\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?author=219894228\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal","og_description":"Streetwear pioneer Karl Kani, renowned for shaping hip-hop fashion and breaking barriers as the first non-sportswear brand on…","og_url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232","og_site_name":"Footwear Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/footwearmagazine","article_published_time":"2025-05-27T18:18:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-29T19:20:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1620,"url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alyssa J. Mann","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@footwearmag","twitter_site":"@footwearmag","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alyssa J. Mann","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232"},"author":{"name":"Alyssa J. Mann","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b760cb6dcd1f2125aa9278db583c932b"},"headline":"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal","datePublished":"2025-05-27T18:18:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-29T19:20:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232"},"wordCount":391,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg","keywords":["athletes","basketball","Fashion","footwear","Karl Kani","King Kendrick","NIL","NIL Deal","Sports","Streetwear"],"articleSection":["Business","Fashion","Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232","url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232","name":"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-27T18:18:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-29T19:20:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b760cb6dcd1f2125aa9278db583c932b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg","width":1080,"height":1620},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?p=14232#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Karl Kani Signs State Champion King Kendrick to First NIL Deal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/","name":"Footwear Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b760cb6dcd1f2125aa9278db583c932b","name":"Alyssa J. Mann","description":"Alyssa Jade is a international fashion stylist and trend reporter based in Vancouver, Canada. Renowned for her versatile and expansive portfolio, Alyssa has collaborated with a diverse array of professionals, including athletes, political figures, television hosts, and business leaders. Her styling expertise extends across commercial campaigns, fashion editorials, music videos, television productions, fashion shows, and bridal fashion.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alyssajademann\/"],"url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/?author=219894228"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/13078517-king-kendrick-for-karl-kani.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgrtCq-3Hy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/219894228"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/footwearmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}