In the first of a two-part series with Kansas-bound McDonald’s All-American point guard Taylen Kinney, we focus on how he has changed the NIL space. A self-made millionaire before the age of 18, Kinney has set the standard for what elite players can look to do off the court. For part two, we will dive deeper into his game on the court.
As a five-star prospect, McDonald’s All-American, and the future leader of the Kansas Jayhawks, Taylen Kinney is getting ready to run the show at one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs. The lead guard has the talent and basketball acumen to ultimately play in the league one day. However, if his hoop dreams don’t work out, before reaching 18 he’s already accomplished more than many will financially. Using the opportunities today’s NIL space afford, Kinney is a self-made millionaire.
However, while the NIL process has been a blessing, people need to realize that TK is keeping the main thing the main thing, and basketball is priority number one.
“Yeah, people definitely forget that I’m a serious basketball player,” Kinney admitted of his social media stardom. “It’s all “6-7, 6-7”, but I am fine with that.”
For those who are unaware, Taylen was a regular kid hanging out with his teammates in the airport during an Overtime Elite trip. There was some downtime at the airport, and the guys were simply having fun awaiting their next flight. What ensued afterward led to the birth of “Mr. 6-7”.
“I was just messing around at the airport and told my guys to record me saying this,” he recounted of him rating his Starbucks drink a 6-7. ” I just woke up the next day with 500,000 followers, and it just kept growing.”
Philadelphia-bred rapper Skrilla’s “Doot Doot” referenced the now famous verse, and a brand was born. While TK has met Skrilla a few times and did a few videos, he talks to him only here and there. The 18-year-old took the 6-7 meme and made it his own. Merchandise, 6-7 water, and an abundance of endorsement deals have followed. It wasn’t just Kinney himself, though. His mother (Mikelle Gearding), stepfather (Drew Mitchell), and a host of others were right there by his side, navigating all of his business ventures.
Kinney admitted, “I just have the right people around me to help me out. They have taught me so much stuff.”
And while Kinney has a remarkably strong core group of people as his team, he realized there were certain business aspects he would be better off with utilizing the help of others. Enter Jared Mucha of Excel Sports.
“They are great people,” the Newport, Kentucky product said of his decision to hire an agent before his high school career ended. “I feel like Excel is a great agency all around.”
6-7 branding aside, Kinney has added more endorsements than any player in high school basketball. Adidas, Overtime Elite, Raspberry Hollister, Fortnite, B-Real, and a host of others have locked TK in to promote their brands, With the endorsements come some pretty surreal experiences, and while there have been many, there were two in particular that stood out to the Overtime Elite senior.
“I did a little Adidas photo thing with James Harden. That was crazy,” Kinny excitedly admitted after a game in Las Vegas. “I went to a Gunna concert and went backstage, too. He came up to me and knew who I was, which was crazy to me.”
While all that stuff has been amazing, don’t get it twisted. Kinney is a basketball player first and wants to make sure everyone knows that. Arguably the best point guard in the class of 2026, he’ll be running the show at an Adidas flagship program, Kansas, and has a few off the court goals he’d like to accomplish before his tenure as a Jayhawk runs its course.
“Hopefully, eventually I get my own shoe,” TK admitted of his business goals with Adidas while giving fans a teaser of what’s up next. “And eventually we’re about to get some 6-7 adidas stuff.”
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