Brandon McCoy Manifested His Spot in Nike’s 2025 Class of NIL Athletes

The advent of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals has forever changed the course of professional sports. Athletes in the NCAA can finally earn money through official brand deals, and this extends down to the high school level as well. Nike, which arguably has the deepest roster of talent across all of sports, has been scouting the next generation of basketball talent to join the team and has officially announced the signing of three athletes: Brandon McCoy, Aaliyah Chavez, and Tyran Stokes.

These three athletes represent the next generation for Nike, which already has a deep roster of NIL talent. Included in this are Ace Bailey, Jazzy Davidson, AJ Dybansta (who even has his own Nike GT Future PE), Dylan Harper, Jerzy Robison, and JuJu Watkins. Check below for a breakdown of each athlete and some exclusive quotes from a conversation we had with Brandon McCoy.

Brandon McCoy

Ranked number 7 overall in the 2026 class according to ESPN, Brandon McCoy is set to finish up his senior year of high school at the elite Sierra Canyon. As a junior for St. John Bosco, he was averaging around 16 points and seven rebounds per game. Even before officially signing with Nike, McCoy has taken part in multiple Nike invitational events, including the Mamba League Invitational. He also won the U19 FIBA World Cup as a member of Team USA and ranked third among all scorers at Nike’s EYBL Peach Jam with 22 points per game.

Sole Retriever was fortunate to get some time with Brandon to talk about his signing, so big shout-out to him, his family, and Nike for making that possible.

“It’s been a goal on my wall for two years. I’ve written it down two years straight. It’s always been in the back of my mind; ‘Nike athlete, Nike athlete,’” said Brandon. “To finally accomplish that, it means a lot.”

He, like many others on Nike’s roster, was drawn to the culture at The Swoosh and the elite talent it has fostered. “Knowing they have signed people I grew up trying to be like… KD, Kobe, LeBron… I grew up trying to model my game after [them]. So knowing what Nike brings to the table, I feel like it was just a perfect fit.”

When discussing his favorite kicks as a child, Brandon called out a line that you may not immediately think of: the Nike LeBron Soldiers. This author also used to hoop in Soldiers, but obviously nowhere near the level of Brandon. Right now, he’s been hooping in various Nike Kobes and was even given a pair of the Mamba League Invitational Nike Kobe 5 PE, but there’s one he hasn’t got his hands on yet. “The all black Year of the Snake Kobes. That’s probably number one right now.”

We also talked about the possibility of a signature sneaker down the line. “I would definitely love to have a Nike signature shoe. I mean, something I’ve been dreaming of for a long, long time. So to have that would mean a lot.” He told us that he wants his shoe to be as accessible as possible, “Whoever’s wearing my shoe, they can have their own meaning towards it”

Brandon also made sure to give praise to his fellow Nike NIL athletes, telling us, “I’ve been close friends with Tyran for a pretty long time, and also got to meet Aaliyah during the shoot we had about a week ago. I feel like it’s an elite group, personalities mesh well, so I think good things are coming.”

Aaliyah Chavez

If you paid attention to the rollout of the Nike Kobe 3 Protro Halo, you might have already gotten a glimpse of Aaliyah Chavez. The number one overall prospect in the women’s class of 2025 is buzzed into the jewelry store that New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson and Kobe Bryant’s daughter Natalia are in to finish off the playful advertisement, which was a pretty clear hint that she was team Swoosh.

She’s already committed to the University of Oklahoma and averaged roughly 35 points and nine rebounds per game in her senior year. Aaliyah also led her AAU team to Nike Nationals in 2022 and 2024, was named to the 2025 USA Women’s Nike Hoop Summit Team, and is the first number one overall recruit to sign with OU.

“The women’s game is on the rise, and Nike and its athletes are a huge reason for that growth,” says Aaliyah. “Partnering with Nike to help grow the game even more is really exciting. I want to show the next generation of young girls that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve it.”

Tyran Stokes

The number one overall recruit in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes is in high demand. Basically every single program in the nation wants Tyran, and rightfully so. He averaged 21 points and more than nine rebounds per game in his junior year at Notre Dame High School, with the 6’7 forward also winning gold medals representing Team USA at FIBA U16 in 2022 and U17 and U19 in the last two years.

“Partnering with Nike means I’m joining a team, a family, and a legacy,” says Tyran. “I’m going to be surrounded by high-level, talented people who will keep me working hard to be at the top of my game. I also want to work with Nike to connect with young athletes and give feedback on our footwear and apparel — not just from me, but from my community.”

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com