The younger sister of soccer phenoms Alyssa and Gisele Thompson, Zoe, signed a name, image and likeness deal with Nike this week.
Four years after her sisters made history becoming the first high school athletes to sign an NIL deal with Nike, the 14-year-old midfielder is following in her sisters’ footsteps.
“I’m excited to join the same brand as my sisters,” Thompson told ESPN.
“I was just happy that Nike even thought of me and it shows that the work that I put in really matters. It’s cool having all three Thompson sisters with Nike. We’re all family and now we’re all Nike family.”
Thompson is entering her freshman year at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles, where she will play on the school’s soccer team.
Just one week before school begins, the youngest Thompson sister inked an undisclosed agreement with Nike.
“It just felt right,” Thomspon told ESPN about signing with Nike. “It felt very natural. I think I’ve been on their radar since my sisters first signed. And I wasn’t sure when it was going to happen for me, but I’m just so excited and happy that I am a Nike athlete like my sisters.”
This spring, Thompson received a callup to U.S. under-15 national team. She currently plays for Tudela FC, Legends FC and the pre-professional women’s team, the Santa Clarita Blue Heat.
“It’s all really surreal,” Karen Thompson, mother of the three sisters, told ESPN. “Watching our girls go through this process, I don’t think we ever envisioned them reaching something this exciting and tremendous. For all three of them to find a journey through sports and soccer and then all of them excel is just incredible.”
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Karen added, “I think Nike always kept an eye on Zoe. They were aware that she was playing soccer. And there were always talks about how good she was at such a young age. And now there’s a buzz about Zoe being just as good or even better than Alyssa and Gisele.”
In May 2022, Alyssa and Gisele Thompson signed the first NIL deals as high school athletes for Nike. At the time, Alyssa was a junior and Gisele a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake.
The historic signing came less than one year after the NCAA approved a policy to allow college student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.
For high school athletes, they must abide by state laws and rules formed by their high school associations.
As California residents, the Thompson sisters were able to sign NIL deals in high schools due to California’s laws allowing student-athletes to participate in NIL deals.
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Both Alyssa and Gisele play for the United States women’s national team.
Gisele, 20, currently plays as a defender for Angel City FC. And Alyssa, 21, plays forward for Chelsea FC.
One year ago, the elder Thompson sisters became the third sister duo to earn senior national team caps for the USWNT.
When it comes to following her sisters’ careers, Zoe told ESPN that she doesn’t plan on going pro before graduating high school and hopes to play in college.
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She also told ESPN that she hopes to make history alongside her sisters and join them on the USWNT one day.
“Being the younger sister can put a lot of pressure on me, especially because of the careers that they’ve already had,” Thompson said.
“But at the same time, it gives me a lot of confidence. It shows that I’m not just getting this deal and these opportunities because of my sisters but because I’ve worked so hard to be at the place that I am and it shows that all this hard work is paying off.”
In a statement, Nike said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Zoe Thompson to the Nike family. As the youngest of the three Thompson sisters, Zoe is continuing a remarkable soccer journey that has already inspired so many young athletes, alongside her sisters Alyssa and Gisele, who are also Nike athletes. While she’s carving out her own path, Zoe’s passion for the game, competitive spirit, and commitment to growth make her an exciting talent to watch. We’re proud to support her as she pursues her goals and helps inspire the next generation of players.”
