Women’s College Basketball Stars Earning Major NIL Money: JuJu Watkins, Cavinder Twins

USC Trojans sophomore guard JuJu Watkins has seen the NIL deals pour in during her time in Los Angeles. The Trojans star is one of women's college basketball highest earners, along with LSU's Flau'jae Johnson, UConn's Paige Buckers and the Cavinder Twins at Miami.

Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball downcourt during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

USC Trojans sophomore guard JuJu Watkins has been one of the most marketable women's college basketball players, even before she stepped on campus. Watkins signed with Klutch Sports in high school for NIL representation, a prominent sports agency that represents players like the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and Anthony Davis. She also signed a deal with Nike in 2022. 

Tabbed as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall prospect coming out of Sierra Canyon (CA) high school in the 2023 cycle, Watkins has more than lived up to the billing. 

Following in the footsteps of a number of Los Angeles based women’s basketball players over the last few decades like Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Cheryl Miller and Tina Thompson that also chose to stay home and play for USC, Watkins has created a legacy of her own and then some while playing in the NIL era. 

Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball downcourt during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Southern California star guard has an NIL valuation at 576k, according to On3. That ranks sixth for women's college basketball players behind LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, UConn guard Paige Bueckers, Miami guards Haley and Hanna Cavinder and TCU guard Hailey Van Lith. 

After a record-setting freshman campaign, where she was a unanimous First Team All-American, the NIL deals continued to pour in. Watkins agreed to a multiyear contract extension with Nike
before the start of the season that gave her one of women’s basketball’s biggest sneaker endorsement deals. Around the same time in October, Watkins became just the third college basketball player to sign a deal with Gatorade, joining Bueckers, and former Iowa and current Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. 

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Watkins is taking advantage of being in the “Entertainment Capital of the World” by starring in and serving as an executive produce in her own documentary series “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins” for NBC and Peacock. The six-part series first premiered in late November. The series followed Watkins’ life on and off the court, beginning with her senior year at Sierra Canyon and into her historic freshman season with the Trojans. 

It is the first time a student-athlete produced a docuseries about their own life while still playing at the collegiate level. Still in the beginning years of the NIL era, Watkins is setting the bar for what athletes can do during their time in school.

She continued to expand her impressive portfolio by inking a deal with State Farm and appeared in a commercial alongside Jake from State Farm in November. Watkins has also signed deals with Celsius, NYX Professional Makeup, Spotify, Fletcher Jones Mercedes, NerdWallet and AT&T, just to name a few. 

While the deals continue to roll in at an impressive rate, Watkins has also taken the investment route at just 19 years old. The Trojans All-American guard invested in the new 3-on-3 women's basketball league, Unrivaled, which began last week in Miami. Watkins is one of three women’s college basketball to be linked with the new league, joining Bueckers and Johnson. Bueckers and Johnson signed NIL deals with Unrivaled, while Watkins is the only one taking the investment route. 

Jan 19, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers guard Flau'Jae Johnson (4) gestures against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The notoriety can be a lot for any athlete to handle, let alone a college sophomore. However, Watkins hasn’t allowed it to affect her game in the least bit and has the Trojans focused on making a run a national championship this season. USC is 18-1, including a 14-game winning streak since their loss to No. 3 Notre Dame on Nov. 23. Watkins has been selected as the Big Ten’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week four times and the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week award once. She is averaging 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season. 

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