UCLA's Christeen Iwuala gifts teammates sleep pillows in NIL deal

jeremycrabtree

UCLA women’s basketball player Christeen Iwuala ensured her teammates had a bon voyage thanks to her first individual NIL partnership.

Shortly before the Bruins departed Monday for an 11-day summer foreign tour in Dakar, Senegal, Iwuala gifted her teammates with MVMI Sleep pillows. Iwuala provided the gifts thanks to her new NIL deal with the sleep performance pillow company that was founded by a former college football player and has Women’s World Cup champion Brandi Chastain as an investor.

“The timing couldn’t have been better to partner with MVMI as I know we will need some extra sleep during this incredible tour around the world,” Iwuala told On3. “Between the camps with kids, games against national teams and historic sightseeing, MVMI’s amazing pillows will definitely come in handy for not just myself, but the whole team.”

MVMI pillow is described as a “premium sleep accessory” that was designed to help athletes – and everybody else – improve their sleep, boost emotional fortitude, physical stamina and mental acuity. Founded by Joe Castignani, a former linebacker at Cal, MVMI is inspired by mummification, the ancient Egyptian process of preserving the body, and mummy is how the company’s name is pronounced.

“MVMI understands the significance of sleep in an athlete’s life, both on and off the field,” Castignani told On3. “As we make our debut in the NIL space, we’re honored to join forces with Christeen and the UCLA women’s basketball team on their monumental international tour. Christeen embodies the team values and spirit that align perfectly with MVMI’s philosophy. We’re excited to empower them with the ultimate sleep experience.”

A post shared by Christeen (@christeen_iwuala)

Terms of the deal were not released, but the partnership was facilitated by Michael Ehrlich, founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing.

Iwuala was a four-star recruit and top-50 overall prospect coming out of Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio in the 2022 recruiting class. During her freshman season at UCLA, she scored 103 points and played 12.2 minutes a game. Iwuala was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in mid-December of her freshman season.

Ehrlich said this is the type of NIL deal was meant to be.

“We see student-athletes sign NIL deals every day, but most aren’t as authentic – or even as functional – as Christeen’s partnership with MVMI Sleep,” he said. “The pairing of Christeen and MVMI ahead of the Bruins’ international tour is too perfect – providing actual physical benefits to the entire team – during such a special, yet taxing experience.

“Even though this is her first individual NIL deal, Christeen didn’t want to make this just about herself. She’s the ultimate team player and was focused on her teammates benefiting as well.”

During the Bruin’s first day in Senegal, the team partnered with NBA Africa in conjunction with Sports for Education and Economic Development Project to put on the Louise Jones Girls Empowerment Clinic for local youth in Dakar.