While some of the sponsorships may seem like no-brainers, they don't just fall into place.

A company could see an immediate connection with a player — because of the name — but that's just the first step. It has to work in other ways: be good for the brands of both parties, reflect common audiences and shared principles.

"The biggest hurdle in general is the fit," Williams said. "It has to be the right name fit. The celebrity has to appeal to the target name demographic, and the celebrity has to be able to participate in a campaign. Some celebrities might not be comfortable endorsing things like alcohol."

When Lamp signed with Select Sports Group, Jacquelyn Davis, the agency's marketing specialist, said she knew there could be some unique marketing avenues to explore because his name. She decided to reach out to LampsPlus, which came to mind because she had driven past their facility in Los Angeles.

The company had never heard of Lamp and wanted to do its homework on him.

"We were very hesitant," Eric Wein a spokesman for LampsPlus said. "Our target demographic is female. We were more interested in trying to target more men."