Women’s college basketball is in need for a star to exchange the supernova that was Caitlin Clark.
Enter JuJu Watkins.
The faculty basketball phenom that dons the Southern California Trojan jersey is just not only the perfect player within the NCAA at once, but she is now also in line for a historic payday.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Watkins and Nike have agreed to a multiyear contract extension that may give her ‘one in every of the richest shoe endorsement deals in women’s basketball history’.
The deal was spearheaded by her representation at Klutch Sports, that included CEO Wealthy Paul, agent Jade-Li English, head of promoting Eric Eways and vice chairman of basketball marketing Brittany McCallum, together with senior Nike officials.
Watkins was the primary highschool athlete that Klutch Sports agreed to represent in the brand new era of NIL back in February of 2022.
Fast forward a pair months later, and the then 17-year-old highschool senior signed with Nike in October of 2022, where she has since blown away every expectation of her.
Last season, as a freshman at USC, Watkins averaged 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a couple of.3 steals per game.
To place those numbers in perspective, only Caitlin Clark averaged more points than Watkins last season.
Watkins became the all-time leading scorer amongst freshmen in Division I women’s basketball history with a complete of 920 points.
Her historic freshman campaign led to quite a few individual awards at the top of the season, including being named a first-team All-American.
Watkins led the Trojans to their first Elite 8 appearance since 1994, ultimately falling to fellow All-American Paige Bueckers and the Connecticut Huskies.
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With lower than a month to go until Watkins begins her sophomore campaign with the Trojans, the hype and expectations are at an all-time high.
USC has been voted as the highest team within the Big Ten in each the coaches and media preseason polls.
Watkins herself is the conference’s preseason Player of the Yr and the Associated Press’ preseason POY.
In accordance with On3, Watkins sits eighth when it comes to women’s NIL earnings, behind Livvy Dunne’s estimated $4m fortune.
But along with her Nike deal the best profile, her link-up with a number of other brands including Wells Fargo, Taco Bell, Instagram, Spotify and Estee Lauder is prone to see her enter the highest 10 next 12 months
The pressure on Watkins to deliver couldn’t be higher.
With Clark having finished her first season within the WNBA, the faculty game is now in need of a brand new superstar that the country can latch on to and be amazed by on a nightly basis.
And while there are worthy contenders equivalent to Bueckers, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, none are on Watkins’ level.
Watkins not has next up.
She has now.
