College Star Xaivian Lee Signs Signature Sneaker Deal

College basketball star and NBA prospect Xaivian Lee already has a deal for a signature sneaker. The Toronto native who played at Princeton and is now with the University of Florida signed a deal with Serious Player Only for a multi-year brand sponsorship that includes a future signature shoe.

“SPO is a young and upcoming brand with a strong belief in their products and future,” Lee tells me, “similar to how I view my own story.”

Oigi Yang, CEO and co-founder of Serious Player Only, says that Lee brings innovation, craft and an unstoppable work ethic that can inspire. “Xaivian is more than a rising star,” Yang says, “he’s a cultural bridge, and we’re proud to walk this global journey with him. This partnership represents more than just a brand and athlete endorsement, it’s a statement about the future of sports branding.”

Yang says value-driven brands can stand “toe-to-toe with legacy giants” by having a focused understanding of their audience. With basketball continuing to expand globally—and with young players—Lee says that upcoming athletes gaining more notoriety could be the future of sports branding. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see similar, innovating things like this in the future,” the 21-year-old says about signing a signature deal so early in his career.

George Langberg, founder and CEO of GSL Sports Group, helped craft the sponsorship deal and says the combining of Lee and SPO offers a partnership where “vision meets craftsmanship.”

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SPO, which already has Toronto Raptors Jonathan Mogbo, the first NBA player to sign with the brand, and a top-ranked high school point guard in Emilee Skinner, adding Lee will be about more than just another name on the roster. The brand has committed to a future signature shoe, immediate signature colorway releases and full creative freedom in a collaborative design process as the brand looks to amplify Lee’s influence “across Asia and North America.”

“I’m excited to be a part of the creative process in both the shoes and clothing,” Lee says. “I want to inject my sense of style into their already existing ideas and create something special.”

From a performance point of view, Lee says SPO’s different sneaker models “strike a nice balance of performance, functionality and style.” A key feature of SPO footwear is the interchangeable insoles, providing differing performance needs. “I enjoy the optionality with the different insoles to adjust to my needs,” Lee says.

Lee’s looking forward to seeing where Serios Player Only heads and how he can be a part of that. “Looking for a brand to partner with, I thought Serious Player Only has a really good vision on where they want to be,” he says. “I’m really excited to see where the brand can go in the future and how I can be a part of that and help bolster it even more. I love seeing how Serious Player Only is growing across regions and building something unique globally as a young and upcoming brand.”

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