Kevin Durant, Nike, and UT Austin Launch Landmark NIL Program — Madison Booker Is First to Benefit

Kevin Durant has never fully left Austin. More than two decades after his lone, legendary season with the Texas Longhorns, the two-time NBA champion is investing in the next generation of players who wear burnt orange — and this time, he's bringing Nike along.

On March 10, Durant and The University of Texas announced a comprehensive NIL program in partnership with Nike designed to support a select group of Longhorn student-athletes in their basketball careers. The first beneficiary is Texas Women's Basketball forward Madison Booker, who becomes the first college athlete to receive access to exclusive KD Player Edition footwear, apparel, and related Nike gear — a distinction that speaks to both Booker's standing as one of the premier players in the country and to the growing ambition of university-level NIL programming.

Durant's Long Connection to Texas

Durant spent a single year in Austin — the 2006-07 season — before being selected second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. But that year left a lasting mark. He won the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, becoming the first freshman in history to claim a major national player of the year honor, and the bond between Durant and the university has only deepened in the years since.

"My time at UT had a huge impact on not only my basketball career, but on me personally," Durant said in announcing the partnership. "Supporting players during their college playing career was always a goal, and I'm thrilled to be able to expand our partnership with UT, bring Boardroom into the mix, and create programming that benefits all UT student-athletes."

Boardroom, the sports and entertainment media and business company Durant co-founded alongside executive Rich Kleiman, is a central part of the new initiative — not just as a branding vehicle but as an active programming partner.

What the Program Includes

Beyond the immediate NIL benefits for Booker — exclusive KD footwear, apparel, and access that no college athlete has had before — the partnership has a broader educational dimension. The University of Texas, Nike, and Boardroom will co-host an annual sports business summit open to all UT student-athletes and sports business students.

The inaugural summit is set for later in 2026 and will feature marquee speakers, content and storytelling strategy sessions, financial literacy programming, and more. The goal, as articulated by the partners, is to equip student-athletes with real-world knowledge about the business of sports — preparing them not just to monetize their NIL while in school, but to build lasting careers and brands beyond their playing days.

It is a model that reflects how the most sophisticated NIL programs are evolving: away from one-off endorsement deals and toward structured, institution-backed frameworks that combine financial opportunity with meaningful professional development.

Madison Booker: The Ideal First

If there is a more fitting athlete to inaugurate a Kevin Durant NIL partnership, it would be hard to identify. Booker, a 6-foot-1 junior forward from Ridgeland, Mississippi, has built her game explicitly in Durant's mold — a wing with length, skill, and scoring versatility that transcends positional categories.

Her résumé at Texas is already remarkable. A two-time winner of the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award, a two-time All-American, the Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year in 2023-24, the SEC Player of the Year in 2024-25, and most recently the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, Booker has averaged better than 17 points, nearly six rebounds, and nearly four assists per game across her Longhorn career. The No. 4-ranked Longhorns won the 2026 SEC Tournament Championship just days before this announcement, defeating No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 — with Booker at the center of the effort.

"It means a lot to be a Nike athlete," Booker said. "Honestly, it's a blessing. I think that's also part of why I came to UT — the opportunities here are amazing."

Texas Women's Basketball head coach Vic Schaefer offered a more direct connection between player and patron: "Nike (and KD) couldn't have a better person representing them than Madison Booker. Madison has always said she's modeled her game after KD, and the hard work she's put into her craft truly shows."

A Signal Moment for Women's Basketball NIL

The partnership carries significance well beyond Austin. Women's basketball has emerged as one of the fastest-growing NIL markets in college sports, driven by rising viewership, record attendance, and the visibility generated by stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese during their college careers. That a player of Booker's caliber is now the face of a Nike-backed KD partnership — not a football player, not a men's basketball player — reflects how dramatically the landscape has shifted.

Nike VP and GM of Global Basketball Karie Conner framed the deal in terms of the company's athlete-first philosophy. "We are proud to enter a new, first-of-its-kind partnership with KD and are eager to keep supporting how he and Nike can champion the next generation of hoopers — continuing with The University of Texas and Madison Booker."

UT Athletics Director Chris Del Conte was equally effusive, noting that Durant's broader support for the university — including his involvement with UT's Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation — has made him something of an institutional ambassador as much as an athletic one.

"This partnership is the beginning of big things," Del Conte said, "and Madison is a great one to start with. Like Kevin, she is the epitome of the pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas."

Future athlete signings, across basketball and other sports, are expected to follow — a signal that what launched with Booker is designed to grow into something considerably larger.