"Give Nike credit: The apparel giant understands marketing.

Third-round WNBA draft picks don't get sponsorship deals. Nevada's Tahnee Robinson was a third-round pick on Monday by the Phoenix Mercury, which then traded her to the Connecticut Sun.

She was the first WNBA draftee in Wolf Pack history, but that's not why Nike signed her to a two-year contract soon afterward.

No, this marriage is all about timing.

Nike launched the N7 campaign in 2007. N7, according to its website, is Nike's "commitment to bring sport and all of its benefits to Native American and Aboriginal communities in the USA and Canada."

You'd be hard-pressed to find a marketing campaign that is as noble as N7. And that's more than just a little important to Robinson, who could be found signing endless autographs and posing for photos at the Wolf Pack's Native American Day games the last two seasons.

As Robinson's status as one of the top players in women's college basketball has grown, so, too, has her responsibility. And it's one she takes on fully and with a great deal of pride."

Get the Story:
Dan Hinxman: Biggest Little Sports Column: Tahnee Nike N7 = #Winning (The Reno Gazette-Journal 4/14)

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