During the off-season, there is usually not so much basketball action. Some players don’t make money since their main source of livelihood is basketball. However, there are very many ways in which athletes can feed off of their names and images.

Emergency of NIL

Recently in the United States, there has been a rise of NIL. This has been a very big thing for athletes more so in Division One Schools and they have been able to make a lot of money. One may ask, what is NIL? Well, it stands for Name, Image and Likeness. This NIL helps athletes make money from their personal brand through endorsements, social media, business partnerships and more.

How does NIL relate to Uganda?

NIL opened eyes for athletes worldwide. It has shown that when a person plays, they get to build a brand which can be leveraged off the court and translated in revenue. That is possible for athletes worldwide and it is up to the athlete to put themselves out there and fully maximize their name, image and likeness.

How can Ugandan Basketball Players get revenue?

There are very many ways in which players can make off of their names and images. The first and important step is to put oneself out there and work on building a personal brand. I’m going to give examples of players and how they can be able to leverage their brands.

Tonny Drileba

This is easily the most liked player in Ugandan basketball. His social media presence is not that big but he usually engages with fans. When you see Drileba, what do you see? Usually, Tonny has on shade when he is off the court. Another thing is that he usually has kempt hair. Man must be going to the salon very often.

Tonny can use his name and image and get a premium salon or shades selling companies for which he can be a model/ ambassador. He can use his influence to shine a spotlight on those businesses which could drive revenue up for them. In return, he can get paid a certain amount of money.

Another area that Tonny has worked in is coaching women and young people. Being a face of an academy, basketball program or mentorship is an avenue which he can feed off of.

Agatha Kamwada

Kamwada is one of those people who you will easily notice when she is in a place. She stands out for her looks and exquisite dressing. Additionally, she is a winner. When you put all this together, she can easily thrive in fashion or modelling. She already has a name and she can be able to leverage it in fashion. Partnering with brands that are centered around dressing more so for athletes. Think about this, Kamwada being an ambassador for Gofere in Uganda. How would that sound?

Flavia Oketcho ‘Flirsh’

When you say the name Flirsh, the word goat comes to many people’s minds. This is because of the longevity that she has had in the game and the champion that she is. The fact that she still plays at a high level and delivers deserves to be appreciated.

For what Flirsh has accomplished, she is easily the most marketable Ugandan basketball player. She is a person that can thrive in leadership and administration, mentorship programs more so for the ladies. Oketcho can be a project lead in different programs and also a symbol of women empowerment and motherhood. A lot of these, she has done and continues to do and hopefully she will continue breaking barriers for women basketball players.

Sera Yaweh

One of the most known players in Uganda. Surprising, most people do not know her for basketball but as a TV show host. Sera’s image is one of the most valuable because she looks gorgeous, dresses very well, has a lot of time on air and is easily noticeable.

Yaweh has already ventured into commentating and making content but she can easily be a face of brands. He voice can be used in ads, she can partner with a boutique to be there model and help teach athletes how to make content.

She can also be a face of campaign and ads. Say, a hotel in Hoima is advertising ahead of the AFCON or some major sporting event like the Road to BAL, she can be the face and voice. One, she is already familiar with the sport and people will easily give her an ear.

Edrine Ekau

Ekau had a spectacular 2026 season and has become the new darling for Ugandan basketball. At the moment, he has all the attention (masanyalaze) and he can use this to work with different brands. He can easily be an ambassador for mountain dew in their Dunk and Dew or UG 3×3 series. There are also other companies that use sport and at the moment, he is selling. He has to be able to identify the deals available and work something out.

Fayed Baale

Baale is one of those players that is high loved in Uganda. He plays for the City Oilers which are affiliated to City Oil, Café Javas, Supreme, Linglong tires and more. Think about it if Fayed’s image was used in advertising campaigns for any of those. Or if he was an official ambassador. I mean, those companies do a lot of CSR but it is very hard to put a face to the campaigns. Fayed can be that for them.

What do athletes need to do?

All these things are easier said than done. The different players have to be willing to continually build their images and names. Also, they must be considerate given that this space has not been heavily utilized and people are just starting to get into it. The negotiations have to be fair on both sides.

Finally, the athletes have to be intentional in making these partnerships work. When a partnership is successful, there is room for renegotiations and doors are open for other athletes. The most important thing is for the athletes to work in with brands/ campaigns that they are interested in. This make it easy because your work while having fun or creating impact.