Fifth-year senior USC Trojans small forward DJ Rodman, the son of Hall of Fame former combo forward Dennis, has just inked a fresh Name, Image and Likeness agreement (NIL) with the ubiquitous footwear brand Crocs, he's announced via his Instagram, along with an accompanying ad clip for the Crocs Echo Storm:
“I want to stand out in a way that no one else feels comfortable doing. I think Crocs really represent myself, that’s why I love them. They’re my favorite shoe, hands down,” Rodman says in the ad (h/t to Donovan James of Trojans Wire for the transcription).
It's exciting to see these kinds of opportunities arrive to even role players on big market college teams now. As the son of a well-compensated legend (and the brother of standout women's soccer star Trinity Rodman), Rodman is probably not hurting for cash the way some other standout college prospects are, but it's nice that he can carve his own path as a legitimate NCAA talent, without leaning on the crutch of a family name.
Across 27 games this season with the 11-17 Trojans, his first since transferring from Washington State, the 6'6" forward out of Newport Beach has submitted modest averages of 7.8 points on .415/.382/.708 shooting splits, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.7 steals.
Duke's Jared McCain, Texas A&M's Janiah Barker and Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako are the other players in Crocs' 2024 NIL stable
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