USC basketball star JuJu Watkins has reportedly signed a multiyear contract extension with Nike.
With this extension, which was first reported via X (formerly Twitter) by ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania, Watkins will have one of the richest shoe endorsement deals in women’s basketball.
Charania further reported that discussions with Nike to close the deal ended on Tuesday, and the negotiations were led by several people from Klutch Sports, including chief executive officer Rich Paulm agent Jade-Li English, Klutch Sports Group head of marketing Eric Eways and vice president of basketball marketing Brittany McCallum.
Nike added Watkins to its ambassador roster in October 2022 alongside several other high school and college student athletes, including Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones and DJ Wagner.
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With Angel Reese, Clark and others leaving college for the WNBA in April, several women’s sports insiders revealed to FN who they believe are basketball’s next marketable stars. The leading name was Watkins.
“After having a historic season, there is no doubt that JuJu Watkins is one of women’s college basketball’s next big marketable stars,” said Greydy Diaz, a journalist, host and producer who covers women’s sports. “With JuJu being so young in her life and career, there is ample opportunity for her to continue building her brand while connecting with audiences through storytelling about her life and journey on and especially off the court.”
Although her career is young, Watkins has accumulated several on-court accolades, including becoming the highest-scoring freshmen ever this past season with 920 points. Off the court, she has several NIL deals, including Celsius, Estée Lauder and NerdWallet, and has 984,000 followers on Instagram.
The guard started 34 games in her freshman season at USC, averaging 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Watkins and USC will start the 2024-25 season on Nov. 4 against Ole Miss.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
