Led by NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett’s Big Ticket Sports LLC, the exclusive deal creates new NIL opportunities for college athletes
(Lincoln, Neb. – August 11, 2026) – Kevin Garnett’s Big Ticket Sports LLC (“BTS”), owner and operator of the iconic Hoop It Up 3×3 basketball tour, and Opendorse, the industry-leading athlete marketplace and NIL technology platform, today announced a partnership naming Opendorse as the first-ever exclusive NIL partner of Hoop It Up.
Unmatched Exclusivity and Compliance
Under the agreement, Opendorse will serve as the exclusive provider of athlete compensation, contracting, payments, compliance, and campaign management for all NIL-related activity across the Hoop It Up platform, inclusive of all Hoop It Up events and Hoop It Up TV content.
“This partnership puts Opendorse at the center of the largest 3×3 basketball platform in the country,” said Blake Lawrence, Opendorse Co-Founder & President, Collegiate Operations. “College athletes get paid, compliant NIL opportunities through Hoop It Up’s events and content, and BTS gets a partner handling contracts, payments, and disclosure. We’re excited to build this out together.”
College athlete appearances and sponsor activations in Hoop it Up events will run through Opendorse’s platform, including integration with the College Sports Commission (CSC) and NIL Go reporting.
“By aligning with Opendorse as our exclusive NIL partner, we are setting a new standard for operational excellence in collegiate event marketing,” said George Daniel, CEO of Big Ticket Sports LLC. “This exclusivity provides our partners and communities we serve with unparalleled confidence. Every athlete engagement we facilitate is now supported by the highest standard in compliance and marketplace technology, allowing us to scale our events with transparency and security.”
The partnership creates a unified ecosystem that connects collegiate athletes to Hoop It Up’s high-energy events, original content, and athlete engagement opportunities.
About Big Ticket Sports LLC
Big Ticket Sports LLC owns and operates the Hoop It Up 3×3 basketball tour, the world’s most prolific 3×3 basketball platform, and the Let It Fly flag football tour. Since its inception in 1989, Hoop It Up has been recognized as the most prolific grassroots basketball tour with millions of worldwide participants and a long history of NBA teams, municipalities and sports commissions as activation partners. Hoop It Up was acquired by Kevin Garnett’s Big Ticket Sports LLC in 2019. With a 24/7 streaming presence on Hoop It Up TV available in over 100 million households via Roku and Amazon Fire and a nationwide footprint of events, BTS connects university communities through sport, entertainment, and athlete-driven storytelling.
About Opendorse
Opendorse is the technology, data, and service platform powering the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) industry for colleges, collectives, consumers, and commercial partners. More than 180,000 athlete influencers use Opendorse to build, promote, and monetize their personal brands through the largest athlete media network.
For media inquiries, contact Opendorse Manager, Marketing and Social Media Blake Schaben at blake.schaben@opendorse.com
