Following the watershed summer decision from the National Collegiate Athletic Association allowing college athletes to sign endorsement deals, WME Sports has landed one of the top student players in the nation as a client.
The agency will represent Johnny Juzang, player for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference, handling his name, image and likeness. Juzang, of Vietnamese descent, began his college career playing one season with the Kentucky Wildcats before transferring to UCLA.
Allowing student athletes to capitalize on their own images not only opens up massive earnings potential for individuals, but new revenue streams for Hollywood agencies in the sports arena. WME Sports also counts clients like gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunne and Jackson State football player Shedeur Sanders (son of Deion Sanders).
As a sophomore with the Bruins in 2021, Juzang was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and the most outstanding player of the tournament’s east region. He was also the tournament’s leading scorer. UCLA is projected by ESPN to be the #3 team in the country in the preseason.
The agency has already landed Juzang a deal, with the Los Angeles-based clothing company Legends. He is the first and only college athlete to endorse the company, which produces performance apparel. WME Sports is also developing a UCLA x Johnny Juzang licensing program with a selection of approved UCLA licensing partners.
Juzang averaged 16.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in the 27 games he played in at UCLA during the 2020-2021 season. He helped the Bruins advance to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2008. In the NCAA tournament, Juzang averaged 22.8 points on 50.9% shooting average. His 137 points were the second-highest NCAA tournament total in UCLA history.
Juzang had a three-year varsity career at Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City, CA. He was named MVP of the Mission League in 2019 and received first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division I honors.
SOURCE: VARIETY
