Arkansas freshman star Darius Acuff Jr. has landed a signature shoe with Reebok, becoming the first NCAA men’s athlete to receive one with a major U.S. brand while still in college, head of basketball at Reebok, Jide Osifeso, tells ESPN.
Acuff, 19, is ranked No. 8 on ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo’s big board for the 2026 NBA draft.
Acuff, the SEC Player of the Year, became the first player to lead the conference in points and assists per game since Pete Maravich in 1969-70. Arkansas won the SEC tournament this month as well.
Acuff has scored 60 points this tournament to lead Arkansas to the Sweet 16, passing Kentucky’s Pat Riley (58) for the most by an SEC player in his first two career NCAA tournament games within a single year, and is the second player in the past 50 years to average 30 points and five assists per game in his first two career NCAA tournament games, alongside Billy Donovan.
Acuff also became the second freshman since they became eligible in 1973 to begin his NCAA tournament career with consecutive games of at least 20 points and five assists, joining Chris Paul in 2004.
For Reebok, Acuff becomes the first men’s basketball player to have a signature shoe since John Wall.
In August 2024, Cooper Flagg signed an endorsement deal with New Balance while he was a 17-year-old rising high school senior in Maine and before his lone season at Duke. The following summer, he became the No. 1 pick of the Dallas Mavericks. The type of deal Flagg received is common for elite prospects across sports.
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