Cleveland Cavaliers rookie guard Darius Garland has added to his yearly income by signing an autograph deal with Upper Deck, the leader in authentic sports memorabilia and collectibles.
Garland, who turned 20 years old last month, signed the agreement with Upper Deck to provide autographed memorabilia and collectibles. Terms of how much compensation the rookie will receive were not announced.
“We are very excited to see what the future has in store for this talented rookie,” said Jason Masherah, president of Upper Deck. “Garland is a young player who has tremendous potential. We take pride in our exclusive athletes and are happy to welcome Darius to the Upper Deck family.”
Upper Deck has already created a page on the company website to sell items connected to Garland.
During his rookie campaign, Garland has seen action in all but one of the Cavaliers’ 54 contests. He’s currently averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Garland was the fifth overall selection in last year’s NBA draft, despite having played in only five games at the collegiate level for Vanderbilt University
That time with the Commodores abruptly ended as a result of a meniscus injury in his left knee. Despite the grind of the current NBA season, Garland has shown no ill effects from that issue.
Garland and the Cavaliers will resume play after the All-Star break with back-to-back road games this weekend. The two contests will mark the first games with new Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm.