*Angel Reese’s request to trademark her “Bayou Barbie” nickname was denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, citing a conflict with the Mattel-owned Barbie doll brand.
An attorney for the LSU star, Darren Heitner, said they would not appeal the decision.
“We discussed internally and determined that it was in Angel’s best interest to not unnecessarily instigate Mattel,” Heitner told On3’s Pete Nakos. “While initially it seemed worthy to obtain the registration, Angel has pivoted away from selling Bayou Barbie merchandise. As such, the appropriate business decision was made to simply let the application abandon.”
We reported earlier that Reese became one of the highest-paid women’s college basketball players after LSU’s NCAA champion win. According to the New York Post, her NIL (name, image and likeness) valuation reached $1.6 million last summer.
The All-American forward is securing six-figure NIL deals with brands across beauty, fashion, sports, fitness, and lifestyle — such as Calvin Klein, Bose, Coach, Raising Cane’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Leaf Trading Cards, Bleacher Report, Outback Steakhouse, Playstation and the artificial intelligence company Caktus AI.
“The days of underexposure, underinvestment and underrepresentation are over,” Reese said in a video on X/Twitter. “We pushed boundaries, and the world’s taking notice. This is only the beginning. Lean in or lose.”
Last year, she told Overtime that she “didn’t spend” her first NIL check.
“I saved it because it wasn’t much,” Reese said. “My first one was not much.”
“I’ve done a lot of shopping lately,” Reese revealed. “I bought a couple designer bags.
“Luckily, I just did a deal [with Benz] — I just got a Benz,” she said.
“It’s cool because, one, you really don’t see black women doing a lot of deals, especially with a lot of these brands — so, just to see me being an example for a lot of young girls that look like me, and just giving them a point just to know that they can do it.”
READ MORE: LSU Star Angel Reese Missed 4 Games Due to Mental Health Break
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
