Marvin Bagley III will be selected at the top of the NBA Draft Thursday night. But he’s already lining up the promotional deals.
The endorsements continue to roll in for Marvin Bagley III. The projected top-five pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft was announced as an ambassador for Mtn Dew Kickstart’s Rising Stars campaign on Tuesday, according to a press release.
Last week, Bagley III reached a five-year deal with Puma to wear and endorse their products as he begins his NBA career. Bagley III averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per game in his freshman season at Duke University. The Blue Devils lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bagley III is projected to go somewhere between the second and fifth picks in Thursday’s draft. Arizona center Deandre Ayton is expected to be the first pick to the Phoenix Suns. Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, Michigan State center Jaren Jackson, Jr., and Texas center Mohamed Bamba are in contention with Bagley III to be selected after Ayton.
Mtn Dew Kickstart became the title sponsor of the NBA’s Rising Star Game in 2018. The game is a part of the NBA’s All-Star weekend each February, featuring the league’s top rookies and sophomores. Fellow Rising Stars ambassadors include Joel Embiid, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Smith, Jr.
Mtn Dew Kickstart is starting the Closer Than Courtside campaign for the 2018-19 NBA season. This will give fans inside access to some of the league’s top young players. Bagley III will make his debut as a Rising Star ambassador at an hosted by Mtn Dew Kickstart Wednesday, June 20. Mtn Dew Kickstart is also hosting NBA Draft Green Carpet leading up to Thursday’s draft.
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Mountain Dew’s promotions with NBA stars goes back to 2015 with campaigns featuring Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving. Irving appeared in a Pepsi commercial as elderly baller Uncle Drew, which has been turned into a feature film that releases nationwide June 29.