Labaron Philon Jr. and the No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide take on the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines in a Sweet 16 matchup on Friday. It's their third game in the NCAA Tournament, with previous wins over the No. 13 Hofstra Pride (first round) and No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders (second round).
Philon has been a big reason for the Crimson Tide's success this season. Through 32 games, the guard has averaged 21.6 points (leads team), 3.4 rebounds, 5 assists (leads team) and 1.2 steals (leads team). The sophomore has also shot 50.2% from the field and 39.7% from the three-point line.
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As Alabama continues to advance further in the NCAA Tournament, he earns more time in the spotlight. It has given the guard plenty of time to grow his personal brand and capitalize on a handful of Name, Image and Likeness opportunities. On Tuesday, days before playing Michigan, Philon announced a new NIL partnership with Insomnia Cookies.
"🍪 Late-night cravings just hit different… had to go with my go-to from @insomniacookies. Sweet 16 energy on and off the court 😤🔥," he wrote via an Instagram post.
Insomnia Cookies joins a growing list of companies to partner with Philon, including Raising Cane's, Billy's Gourmet Hot Dogs, CVS Pharmacy, Xfinity and Domino's. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, as On3 estimates his NIL valuation to be at $923,000, which is the highest for anybody on Alabama.
Despite having two more years of eligibility after this season, Philon's time with the Crimson Tide may be coming to an end. ESPN ranks him as the No. 9 guard and No. 21 player to potentially be available in the 2026 NBA Draft.
However, with this latest deal announced, he and Alabama remain focused on the Wolverines. Tipoff is 7:35 p.m. ET at the United Center, airing on TBS and truTV. ESPN's matchup prediction currently gives the Crimson Tide a 27.4% chance of winning.
