North Carolina Basketball's Deja Kelly becomes an investor and a brand ambassador for hydration brand, BARCODE | Image courtesy of BARCODE
University of North Carolina student-athlete Deja Kelly partners with hydration brand, BARCODE.
This newly signed partnership marks the first long-term equity deal for Deja, a University of North Carolina sophomore and women’s basketball team point guard, who also becomes BARCODE’s first-ever female name, image and likeness (NIL) shareholder. It also adds to Deja Kelly’s growing portfolio, including Dunkin’, Postmates, and Outback Steakhouse®. As part of this agreement, Deja will help elevate BARCODE’s brand awareness and retail footprint across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex by showing up at local Central Market retail locations.
In another aspect of the deal, BARCODE becomes the official hydration partner of Deja Kelly’s Women’s Empowerment and Basketball Camps launching in San Antonio and Dallas in Summer 2022. The camps are designed for young women in middle and high school to learn the fundamentals of basketball training, leadership, and essential life skills. BARCODE will be the official drink sponsor and will provide its beverages that are boosted with multivitamins, ashwagandha, and magnesium.
In a released statement by BARCODE, Kelly says “Innovation and empowerment are core to who I am as a woman and an athlete. It’s incredible to be an ambassador to a company that shares those values, and to own a piece of such a rapidly growing business.”
Deja Kelly graduated from Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. She leads the lady Tar Heels in scoring, and will be helping the team attempt to win its first ACC Championship since 2008.
