Italian Brand, That Made $2.4 Million From LeBron James, Now Lure His Son Bronny’s Newest USC College Mate

Published 04/30/2024, 5:30 PM EDT

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How do you know you’ve made it in basketball? It’s when you start getting the same endorsements, brand deals, and invitation to events as LeBron James. That’s what happened with the newly transferred star of the University of Southern California Trojans. Notably, she put out her transfer news in her flamboyant style by sharing a post in the USC jersey and announcing her partnership with the trading card company Panini.

The news of the same was shared on social media account X by women’s basketball journalist Talia Goodman. And as expected, it gained a lot of traction.

Talia von Oelhoffen sings with Panini after LeBron James

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Talia von Oelhoffen was a player with the Oregon State of the Pac-12 Conference for 4 years. Post that, she decided to use her COVID-19 eligibility as she could only play 13 games during her freshman year in 2020. Playing for the Beavers, Oelhoffen had an exceptional average of 12.3 points per game with 4.2 rebounds per match. She propelled her team to an Elite Eight place in last year’s NCAA season.

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Naturally, the Trojans saw the potential in her and selected her. Oelhoffen shared the news of the same through a card deal with Panini. Panini for the record is an Italian company that produces books, cards, comics, magazines, etc. Among other famous athletes, James had previously been signed by them and his “Triple Logoman” card from the 2020-21 collection was sold at an auction for $2.4 million in June 2022. This calls for pleasant news for Oelhoffen, who can be sure that she is a growing athlete. Meanwhile, though Panini and another major card company Fanatics appear at loggerheads, the latter has control over GCP which manufactures Panini cards.

James also has a deal with Fanatics along with his son Bronny. The father-son duo appeared in St. Vincent-St. Mary’s high school and the Trojans uniform respectively in Bowman University Chrome Basketball set. It also had NCAA athletes including Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. And Oelhoffen’s next goal would be to land a deal with the Fanatics and appear in a card collection next to James. Till she makes it possible, she will be trying hard in the next year’s NCAA season to prove her mettle. However, Oelhoffen is not the only one who has transferred.

Bronny James also announced his decision to transfer

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James Jr. is also looking for a place after the USC head coach Andy Enfield left the Trojans. He has declared for the NBA draft and also entered the transfer portal as a fallback. With the NBA draft slated for June this year, Bronny would be keen to fulfill his father’s dream of playing alongside his son in the NBA if he gets drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. But there is still time for it.

Hopefully, Bronny and Oelhoffen will get what they wanted. Now that Oelhoffen has a deal with Panini she would be trying to build on her previous performances and deliver an astonishing season in NCAA 2024-25. Hopefully, she might also fulfill her dream of winning the Championship title and appear in another card collection with King James.

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Written by:

Ritvan Pande

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Ritvan Pande is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He covers Perspectives and Classics as the expert in the longform coverage. Inspired by the fabled Chicago Bulls trio of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Ritvan captures the staggering court encounters in the same competitive style.
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Edited by:

Caroline Joseph