JuJu Watkins just got the bag. It’s official, USC sophomore star JuJu Watkins has agreed to terms with Nike on a new sneaker deal that is one of the biggest in all of women’s college basketball. The amount hasn’t been disclosed yet, but in comparison, the WNBA Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark’s sneaker deal with Nike is worth about $28M over the next eight years, so it’s safe to assume it is somewhere in that ballpark. This deal was negotiated by Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and Watkins‘ team, which includes her agent, Jade-Li English; head of marketing Eric Eways; and VP of basketball marketing Brittany McCallum.
This payday is not too surprising. With Clark now in the pros, JuJu Watkins is the unquestioned face of women’s college basketball, and maybe college basketball in general. In her historic freshman season, what freshman record didn’t she break? She passed Caitlin Clark for most 30-point games by a freshman over the last 25 seasons. She set USC’s single-game scoring record with a 51-point outburst against Stanford University. She also scored the most points by a freshman in a single season ever with 920, shattering the previous record of 898 points set by Tina Hutchinson of San Diego State in 1983-84. All this record-breaking earned her All-American status and National Freshman of the Year by USA Today.
What makes JuJu’s contract so legendary is that she is still in college, and because of WNBA draft rules she is forced to remain in college for another three full seasons. She took her USC Trojans all the way to the Elite Eight where she lost to Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies. She is already heading into the season as the Associated Press’ Preseason Player of the Year, and a lot of people will be expecting her to take the Trojans to even higher heights than last season.
No one in college, male or female, will be more watched and scrutinized than JuJu Watkins. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but if anyone can deal with it, it’s most certainly Southern California’s New Queen.
