Business talk isn’t typically a part of Olivia Dunne’s locker room banter.
When speaking Wednesday at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville, the NCAA’s highest-earning female athlete, 20, revealed that she and her LSU gymnastic teammates don’t speak about “brand deals” and “NIL,” but rather “normal college things.”
“When I’m in the gym, I never talk about NIL with my teammates, or at all. We talk about normal college things. When we’re in the locker room, it’s normal locker room talk,” Dunne said, according to Outkick.
“It’s never about brand deals. It’s never about NIL.”
Dunne, whose fame skyrocketed on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, has an estimated NIL valuation of $3.4 million following the NCAA’s rule change in 2021, enabling college athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness.
In recent years, the New Jersey native has secured brand deals with several companies, including American Eagle and activewear label Vuori.
But in the event of a teammate approaching Dunne for NIL advice, the TikTok sensation stated Wednesday a greater conversation usually takes place.
“Sometimes a teammate or two will come up and ask me for advice about it… but even then, we talk about it more in-depth later on. I hope that I can [elevate everyone around me] in all aspects of my life, not just NIL— as a teammate, as a friend, and as a sister,” Dunne said.
Dunne just completed her junior year at LSU, with the Lady Tigers placing fourth in the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in April.
Weeks later, Dunne made her highly anticipated Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in the 2023 issue.
Though the offseason is well underway for Dunne, she’s keeping her skills sharp and the content fresh.
Just this week, Dunne posted a clip of herself practicing backflips at the beach.
“Some beach-nastics to start the summer off right,” she captioned her TikTok video, which has since amassed 3.3 million views.
