Diverse organisations have steadily used branding to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in recent times. This study examined sports performance as a predictor of athlete branding among elite players in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). The aim was to explore athlete branding among players in the NPFL. A descriptive research design was used. The population consisted of all NPFL players. 340 NPFL players were sampled. Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used to select respondents. A self-developed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. They included the Sports Performance Scale (SPS) and Football Player Branding Scale (FPBS). The reliability coefficients were SPS (0.91) and FPBS (0.85), respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse demographic data, while multiple regression was used to analyse the hypotheses. The study revealed that there was a significant joint prediction of sports records, skill level and big game performance on athlete branding among respondents (F(3,336)=83.104, p<0.05) There was a significant relative prediction of sports record (ß=0.358, t=6.332, p<0.05), skill level ((ß=0.173, t=2.923, p<0.05) and big game performance (ß=0.211, t=3.273, p<0.05)) on athlete branding. The study concluded that sports performance predicted athlete branding. Recommendations included, NPFL clubs should prioritise high-quality training, analytics, advanced coaching, and regular media highlights to enhance players' performance metrics, improve skill levels, and prepare players for high-stakes games. In addition, Clubs should focus on tracking and publicising players' sports records as a central branding strategy to attract fan attention and sponsorship interest through skill enhancement programmes and high-stakes game preparation.