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NFL Star Russell Wilson Reveals Personal Decision He Made to Attract Ciara

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 3:47 PM ET

Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl XLVIII champion and a 10-time Pro Bowl selection who has thrown for nearly 47,000 passing yards and more than 350 touchdowns across 14 NFL seasons for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and now the New York Giants.

As a result, he remains one of the league’s most recognizable athletes.

On Saturday, Forbes reported that Wilson’s kids’ sportswear brand, 3BRAND, co-founded with his wife, singer Ciara, has topped roughly $100 million in sales, a milestone Wilson traces back to a family moment and an idea sketched at home.

In Forbes’ profile Wilson described how, early in his NFL career, he had to "level up" his fashion sense to attract Ciara, a remark he pairs with the origin story of 3BRAND.

"When I got into the NFL, I was single and trying to date a girl way out of my league in Ciara. I realized I had to level up my dress game... A lot of the things that Ciara and I accomplished, we wrote them out as kids and had people who believed in us," Wilson said. "But as a young kid, you ultimately have to believe in you. It’s about motivating the next generation."

Wilson and Ciara launched 3BRAND in 2021 as a kids- and family-focused clothing line, starting out with a Nike partnership and releasing items like backpacks, t-shirts, and matching children’s apparel through retail stores.

Beyond 3BRAND, Wilson’s commercial portfolio is vast, with major sponsors like Acrisure, Fanatics, General Dynamics, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Panini and Wilson Sporting Goods.

In fact, he recently landed at No. 49 in Forbes' "World's Highest-Paid Athletes" list for 2025 with $53.6 million.

Wilson first crossed paths with Ciara at a University of Wisconsin basketball game on March 26, 2015. They went to dinner soon after, and by April 28, they made their first public appearance together at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

From their, the two became engaged in the Seychelles on March 11, 2016 and wed in a private ceremony at England’s Peckforton Castle on July 6, 2016.

Ciara brought son Future Zahir Wilburn into their blended family and together they welcomed daughter Sienna Princess (April 2017), son Win Harrison (January 2020) and daughter Amora Princess (December 2023).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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