Kentucky basketball standouts Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham’s most recent NIL deal is one that will be familiar to the fine folks in Lexington. They signed on with Donatos pizza as brand ambassadors after Oscar Tshiebwe inked a year-long deal with the franchise last season.
The Wildcats guard duo announced their new NIL partnership with Donatos on social media on Monday. Fans will receive a special edition poster of Dillingham and Sheppard if they use the promo code ‘DonatsDuo’ with any purchase, as well as two dollars off of their order.
To say that their presence on camera was less than enthusiastic would be an understatement. It was the most placid delivery of the year and it’s incredible.
Sheppard has yet to figure out the whole on-camera thing. He stood completely still while going off of the prompter in a monotonous tone and may not have blinked throughout the entire ad read.
Dillingham was a little bit better with his intonation, but his conveyance was also pretty dry.
— The Kentucky Network (@KentuckyNet) February 26, 2024
Although Dillingham’s “thumbs up” at the end is truly perfect, Sheppard’s slight smirk after discussing his hot honey pizza with banana peppers is the highlight of the ad. He was so happy and his joy translates through the screen.
— The Kentucky Network (@KentuckyNet) February 26, 2024
Kentucky basketball’s partnership with Donatos is everything that makes NIL great— two athletes with very little on-camera experience doing an ad read as if they were in a hostage video. How can you not go buy a pizza after watching Dillingham and Sheppard promote their favorite joint? Does it not get you fired up to scarf down a pie for $2 less than the normal price?!
Donatos might not have expected its partnership with the two guards to be as boring and mundane as it was. However, it could not have gone any better. The simplicity and ordinariness of the video is what makes it so great! It is the clear leader in the clubhouse for the best NIL ad of the year.