Most athletes would say that growing up, they not only wanted to succeed in their respective sport, but to reap the benefits of said success.
That includes having their name, image and likeness on blast on magazine covers, trading cards and more forms of media that signal their stardom.
LSU senior guard and future WNBA draft pick MiLaysia Fulwiley has reached that point: She is now one of the faces of Panini America’s trading cards.
During WNBA All-Star 2026, Fulwiley was in Chicago on behalf of Panini America, where she joined WNBA players Olivia Miles, NaLyssa Smith, Aneesah Morrow and Dearica Hamby for meet-and-greets with fans and card signing sessions.
Panini America set up shop at WNBA Live at McCormick Place, with autographed memorabilia from Panini’s collection on display for fans.
For Fulwiley, it is an opportunity not only to celebrate being on a trading card, but to interact with the fans who support her.
I feel as though it is a great opportunity to meet with the fans, and I just feel blessed to be a part of it. It’s just great to meet the people that pour into my dreams and my goal; they are really down to earth.
Growing up in Columbia, SC, Fulwiley didn’t collect trading cards. Instead, she started getting her hands on cards very recently after seeing a teammate of hers on one. Now, she has a handful of her cards in her possession. One includes a McDonald’s All-American Game card from 2023. Another features her and former LSU teammate turned Seattle Storm rookie Flau’jae Johnson.
Fulwiley played two seasons under head coach Dawn Staley at South Carolina, when she was part of the 2024 team that went undefeated en route to the NCAA championship.
In April 2025, Fulwiley transferred to LSU to play with Johnson and under head coach Kim Mulkey. Fulwiley averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and shot 47.4 percent from the field as a junior for the Tigers.
Off the court, she is building a name for herself.
She is the first collegiate athlete to have an NIL deal with the Curry Brand, formerly a subsidiary of Under Armor founded by Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. And with Panini America, which is the exclusive trading card partner of the WNBA, she is charting a new course for women’s basketball players in the trading card business.
Fulwiley is still blown away at seeing her face on a card. She recalled her mother’s prideful reaction, as well as her own awe knowing that cards featuring her are sold and displayed alongside those of other women’s basketball stars. The trading cards represent a check point in her ongoing journey toward success.
When I first saw the card, it was crazy. Growing up from where I came from, people that I looked up to, I didn’t see them on a card. When I saw that card, my mom was like, “Wow.“ Just seeing as far as the W players, being surrounded by a lot of athletes I look up to means a lot.
As far as what’s next for her, Fulwiley was anticipatory: “We shall see.”