Deja Kelly Net Worth: NIL Deal, Contract, Salary, Investments and More

Deja Kelly has been a promising prospect out of North Carolina, but she went undrafted due to the fact she just does not define the usual stats for a point guard. However, her scoring abilities are exceptional as she tallied over 16 points in her sophomore, junior, and senior years of collegiate career at North Carolina. Also, she became the face of Tar Heels because she ranked eighth on UNC's career scoring list with 1,851 career points.

Later on, she made the shift to Oregon and even declared for the WNBA Draft 2025. However, she went undrafted from the draft class. After a week from the 2025 Draft, she inked a training camp contract with the Las Vegas Aces on April 18, 2025. During her thriving collegiate career, she signed multiple deals under the pretext of the Name, Image, and Likeness(NIL) deals. Today, we are going to unravel how much worth Deja Kelly holds despite not signing with any team in the draft.

Deja Kelly NIL Deal

Deja Kelly kicked off her college career in 2020 with the North Carolina Tar Heels, and a year after she started playing collegiate basketball, the announcement for Name, Image, and Likeness came out. The NCAA had allowed the student athletes to benefit from such NIL deals and build financial profit from such deals. Notably, Deja Kelly had improved her performance in her sophomore season during college, and it was a golden chance for her to perform and earn.

According to On3, a platform that tracks NIL valuations, Deja Kelly’s NIL value is estimated at approximately $500,000 as of 2025. Her brand is built on athletic performance, fashion, and social media engagement. However, it is worth noting that On3 has locked the current evaluation of Kelly's NIL deals.

The only thing that works in favor of basketball athletes, apart from the basketball courts, is the social media accounts. Mostly, the Instagram accounts of athletes like Deja Kelly get them sponsorships, paid content promotion, along with signature merch, and appearance in an event or project just for the purpose of promotion.

Deja Kelly Contract

For now, Deja Kelly is on a training camp contract with the Las Vegas Aces that she signed on April 18, 2025. The reason? She was not drafted by the WNBA at any point in the current class, and after that, she was selected for further testing. So, she will attend the training camps held from April 27 to play in the tournament and make it to the official roster.

The season of the WNBA is going to start on May 16, 2025, and Kelly has got much less time to prove herself. Therefore, she has to give it her all and stand a chance to be a part of the permanent roster of the Las Vegas Aces. The candidates that Deja Kelly will be competing against to get her one seat on the roster are South Florida Bulls guard Elena Tsineke, Alabama Crimson Tide guard/forward Aaliyah Nye, as well as Harvard Crimson guard Harmoni Turner.

Moreover, there are 12 athletes part of the basketball roster, but the teams only go for the best 11 players to maintain the hard salary cap balance and don't go overboard. That's why competition gets intense while competing for such crucial spots in the team. If the player makes it to such opportunities, and it is a breakthrough season for them, it secures them financially with brand lining up for their recognition and signing as well.

Therefore, we will update this section once Deja Kelly cracks a contract after becoming a permanent part of the Las Vegas Aces roster.

Deja Kelly Salary

There is no traditional estimation around Deja Kelly's salary since she is not signed by any WNBA franchise and went undrafted. The only source of income that she has is from the brands that she signed with during her college. Currently, the estimated salary that she might be earning from her NIL deals is $500,000. Also, if she does make it to the main roster of the Aces, the brands will pull away the deals from her, since it all depends on the public appearance that she makes as an athlete.

Her profile matters to the brands, and she has to either gear up her social media game or her basketball game to stay relevant to the public as well as the brand. So the chances of financial success are frail if Kelly does not succeed at the Las Vegas Aces training camp.

If she makes it to the WNBA or an international league, the projected salary breakdown would look something like this:

Also if she chooses to play overseas during the WNBA offseason (e.g., in Turkey, Spain, or China), she could earn an additional $150,000–$300,000 per year.

Deja Kelly Net Worth in 2025

Deja Kelly’s net worth is estimated at $750,000 in the year 2025. Currently, this figure is falling due to the fact that no franchise went on to chose her in the draft. But the tables can still turn for her if she gets the role of the point guard on the Las Vegas Aces squad. From the lens of college athletes, the net worth that Deja Kelly holds is marvelous. But she is not a collegiate athlete now; she has declared for the draft, and she must stand up to the expectations of the brands.

Breakdown of Deja Kelly’s Net Worth:

• NIL Income: ~$500,000

• Brand Endorsements: ~$200,000

• Appearances and Partnerships: ~$50,000

The last season that Deja played for the Oregon Ducks tallied 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. It is not up to the mark for a pro-basketball athlete, but it was her defensive performance as a point guard. It proves that she is improving and has a scope to gain success in the WNBA if she gets a chance.

Deja Kelly Endorsements

The endorsement list is quite long for Deja Kelly because she has spent five seasons playing college basketball with North Carolina and Oregon teams. Moreover, she performed there and kept on improving, cooking the perfect improvement story for the brands in the collegiate scene.

That's why the only deals that Deja Kelly has so far are the NIL deals that act as endorsements for her. As per On3 data, she has signed with brands like State Farm, Tommy Hilfiger, NILosophy, Crocs, Beats by Dre, KINLO, Kinly, Actively Black, Barcode, Essentia Water, Forever 21, and Dunkin’.

The major brands with which Deja cracked endorsements, impressing them with her performance and marketability, can be listed as follows:

Dunkin’

Deja Kelly became a featured athlete for Dunkin’ in 2022. It made her one of the early female college athletes to land a national brand deal. The partnership included sponsored social content and in-store promotions with an estimated value of $50,000.

Beats by Dre

Kelly also joined hands with the Beats by Dre brand. Usually, Kelly promotes the brand’s new headphone lines across her social media channels. Her new generation connection landed her a deal in 2023 with an estimated worth of about $40,000.

Forever 21

Kelly also collaborated with Forever 21 for a lifestyle apparel campaign in 2023. It brought a completely different side of Deja Kelly out in public. She highlighted her sense of fashion and female empowerment. Eventually, it added well to her public image and extended beyond sports. The worth of the deal is reportedly around $60,000.

Essentia Water

Essentia Water adopted Deja Kelly as the new face of the brand with the purpose of promoting hydration and athletic performance as a college athlete. This deal was signed in 2023 at an approximate value of $ 25 K.

If Kelly gets to the WNBA after surviving the Aces training camp, various brands might be waiting for her, considering the portfolio she has built by doing ad campaigns for brands from different domains.

Deja Kelly Investments

There is not much information available about Deja Kelly's investments since she is still new to the league. She has not even gotten to play her first game for her team. She is now competing for her spot, and the only responsibility that she has now is to perform her best in that. Apart from that, she is the owner of the NIL deals from colleges. If anything goes south for her from the training camp, the only option for her will be to play in the international basketball leagues like Spain, Turkey, Russia, and invest money in assets.

Such undrafted athletes can not rely only on the WNBA in terms of financial independence, since they have to prove themselves again and again for months or years to get the attention of the teams. Only after that, the brands go for signing them

Deja Kelly Car

Deja Kelly currently owns a white-colored 2022 model BMW X5. Kelly got the opportunity to buy the luxury car because of her earnings from NIL deals. Earlier, Deja drove a 2014 Ford Fusion during her high school years. She announced the car's announcement through her social media where she penned, “I just bought my first luxury car at 20 years old! TUH! Just had to take a step back and admire my hard work on and off the court to get to this point, and know that it’s just the beginning”.

Deja Kelly House

Deja Kelly does not publicly own real estate properties as per information available in 2025. However, sources close to her management indicate that she is exploring options for a starter condo or townhouse in North Carolina after her selection in the WNBA. Her goal is to secure property as a base before going all in as an athlete. That's why real estate investment is part of her long-term financial plan.