Aaliyah Edwards is one of college basketball’s best talents, a 6-3 terror whose rebounding skills and penchant for paint points seemingly have her destined to be a top-five pick in this year’s WNBA draft.
Edwards also plays for one of the sport’s biggest programs — UConn. However, despite being one of the team’s best performers, Edwards has received precious few NIL deals, at least compared to fellow Huskies standouts like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
The reason why is simple: Edwards is Canadian; Bueckers and Fudd are not. Although Edwards has plenty of fanfare surrounding her play, she is legally barred from receiving the glitzy paychecks that Bueckers, Fudd, and countless other American sports stars are eligible to claim in the U.S.
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International players aren’t allowed to capitalize off of big-money NIL deals in America. Instead, they are only eligible to receive money from passive NIL agreements. For example, Edwards would receive pennies on the dollar if the campus bookstore sold her jersey.
Edwards, a Kingston, Ontario, native, isn’t exactly lacking in NIL offers. She just inked a deal with adidas Canada, the company announced Monday.
However, she’s not actually allowed to publicly promote the brand or…
