As I close out my college basketball career at UConn and prepare to step into the next chapter of my professional career with the WNBA and Dallas Wings, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I got here and what’s actually helped me grow along the way. When the NCAA changed the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules, it changed everything for my generation of student athletes, but it didn’t come with a roadmap. We’ve all been figuring it out in real time, and every single decision has mattered.
In just a few years, NIL has grown into a billion-dollar market, yet most partnerships often follow a familiar pattern of short-term brand endorsements. Five years in, and I’ve seen how easy it is for NIL to turn into a cycle of quick deals and short-term wins. That can’t be the end goal – especially for women athletes who are driving a ton of engagement and building massive social followings, but still represent only around 32% of all NIL deal submissions.
NIL shouldn’t just be about monetizing attention. It should be about building something that lasts.
Early on, I thought the best opportunities were the biggest ones or the ones everyone else could see. I’ve been lucky to have a team at UNLTD Sports, who manages sports marketing and representation for college and professional athletes, in my corner from the beginning. They helped guide my NIL journey by really thinking through the bigger picture, not just the moment in front of me.
Somewhere along the way, my mindset shifted. I started paying more attention to the experiences that challenged me, that taught me something new, that made me think differently about who I am beyond basketball.
That’s what made my time with Madison Reed so meaningful. It wasn’t just about partnering with a brand; it was about being in the room, receiving equity in the business and having an opportunity to potentially become one of the brand’s first franchisees as part of the partnership – not just cash for posts, but real ownership in the business. I got to learn how the company operates, see how decisions get made and understand what it takes to build something from the ground up. That experience gave me a different kind of confidence, one that goes beyond the court.
It made me realize that the opportunities that matter most aren’t transactional, they’re transformational. They shape how you see yourself and what you believe is possible for your future.
Here are three things I’ve learned about choosing opportunities that actually move you forward:
Bet on the people, not just the deal
I’ve learned that the best partnerships aren’t just about what you get, they’re about who you’re surrounded by.
It’s easy to get caught up in numbers or what looks good from the outside. But the people you have in your corner matter more than any deal. The ones who take the time to teach you, who bring you into rooms you didn’t even know you should be in and who push you to think bigger than you were before. That’s what actually stays with you.
Amy Errett, the Founder and CEO of Madison Reed, didn’t treat me like someone who was just there for a campaign. She invested in me as a person. She made sure I understood how the business worked and included me in real conversations.
Through that experience, whether it was learning about equity, talking through what it could look like to possibly become one of the company’s first franchisees one day or spending time with the marketing team during my internship while I was finishing my MBA, I started to see what building something of my own could actually look like.
This is what NIL can look like when brands think beyond endorsement deals.
At its best, it’s not just endorsements. It’s brands treating athletes like future operators, founders and leaders, not just faces. All it really takes is one person who believes in you in that way. Someone who raises your standards for what you should expect and what you’re willing to ask for.
So when you’re looking at opportunities, don’t just focus on the deal, pay attention to the people.
Transformation takes time, and you don’t always see it right away
This is probably the hardest part to accept. Growth doesn’t happen overnight, and it definitely doesn’t move as fast as a deal does. You don’t always see the impact right away, but it’s there, building over time.
Every conversation, every meeting, every person who takes the time to pour into you adds something unique and different. And after a while, you start to feel it. You understand how things actually work. You build relationships that go deeper than a contract. You gain experience that shows up in rooms that have nothing to do with basketball.
When I think about where I was five years ago compared to now, it’s a completely different mindset. I’m starting to understand the business side of a brand in a real way. I’m thinking more like an entrepreneur. I’m learning how to walk into a room and know I belong there– not just because of what I’ve done on the court, but because of what I can contribute to the conversation.
That’s where NIL can really evolve.
Brands have a chance right now to redefine what partnership looks like. Not just paying athletes to post, but actually investing in us. Bringing us into the room. Teaching us how things run. Helping prepare us for the moment the jersey comes off and what comes next.
Play the long game
This is something I come back to a lot when I’m making partnership decisions now.
I try to choose growth. The experiences that actually teach me something. The people who challenge me. Those are the ones that stick. Basketball will always be my foundation. That’s never going to change. But everything I’m building alongside it – how I think, how I lead, the relationships I’m forming — comes from the moments that pushed me, not just the ones that looked good at the time.
I’m still figuring things out. I think I always will be. But I’ve started to realize it’s not just about saying yes to opportunities, it’s about being intentional with the ones you choose. The ones that help you grow into who you want to be.
If you focus on that, everything else tends to take care of itself.
NIL can be one of the most powerful tools we have as athletes right now. But only if we use it that way. It’s not just about what you gain today, it’s about how it sets you up for what’s next.
Fudd has a NIL partnership with Madison Reed and is represented by UNLTD Sports Group. This essay reflects her personal experience. The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
