USC Women's Basketball Superstar Makes NIL History with Fanatics Partnership

Women of Troy All-American JuJu Watkins details new exclusive, multi-year memorabilia and trading cards partnership

Michael Ehrlich | Mar 14, 2025

Mar 8, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; South California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) attempts a free throw against Michigan Wolverines during the second half of the Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images

USC all-everything guard JuJu Watkins — a leading contender for National Player of the Year — continues to dominate on the hardwood and in NIL for the Women of Troy, setting a new standard for athlete marketing.

From an appearance in Nike's Super Bowl commercial — their first in 27 years — to billboards popping up all over Los Angeles, to her own NBC docuseries, the sophomore sensation is the current face of college sports, highlighting the possibilities of NIL.

Starting in high school at Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, CA.), Watkins has been a trailblazer in the athlete marketing space and continues to add historic partnerships to her diverse brand portfolio. From Nike and Gatorade to State Farm, United Airlines and Degree, the Women of Troy star and her team at Klutch Sports Group have continued to push the envelope on what a college athlete can do in NIL and beyond.

Ahead of the NCAA Tournament — where USC is expected to compete for a National Championship — the Big Ten Player of the Year adds yet another monumental deal to her roster. She joins Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles on an exclusive, multi-year deal making her the first women's college basketball to sign such a partnership with the brand. Fanatics signed Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg earlier this season.

JuJu Watkins 2025 Bowman University Chrome Basketball Campus Visit Autographed Superfractor / Fanatics

The demand for women's basketball trading cards has exploded over the past year and now fans will have even more access to Watkins collectibles, autographs and memorabilia through her Fanatics partnership. From cards and photographs to basketballs and other products, Watkins will continue to grow her collectibles footprint, while still in college.

During a recent content shoot in Los Angeles with Fanatics, Watkins spoke with NIL Daily On SI about her new history-making partnership, her own growing NIL legacy and the momentum of women's sports overall.

This Fanatics partnership is yet another historic deal for you — joining the likes of Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, among others — what sort of NIL legacy are you hoping to leave behind for the next generation of female athletes?
"The thing is to make it more common. I feel like we're in a space where everything is kind of groundbreaking and the intent is to make it more of a regular thing and hopefully more women get more opportunities like this."

You have such a diverse NIL portfolio — what made sense about this partnership for you and what does it feel like to hold your own trading card for the first time?
"I actually love unboxing trading cards - it's really satisfying to me. This deal kind of pays homage to the fact that cards are such a big part of sports culture, so to be able to do something with the biggest brand in sports collectibles; it's really cool to do. This is kind of like a rite of passage as a basketball player and it's a great opportunity for me."

JuJu Watkins 2025 Bowman University Chrome Basketball Big Kahuna Autographed Superfractor / Fanatics

The hobby is experiencing a historic surge in interest and demand for women's basketball cards — what do you think your Fanatics deal at the collegiate level will do for the collectables industry and women's sports overall?
"My hope is always to inspire younger girls to want to get into the same field as I am in. It's just such a great thing and sports is just so helpful in connecting everybody together. I think that's just the biggest thing is inspiring little girls to to want to play basketball as well."

What Fanatics product — trading card or memorabilia — are you most excited about launching?
"I love signing cards for fans, so I'm starting to see the Topps and Bowman U cards more and more. To keep seeing the different additions of those, it's really cool to see every time.

Expecting to compete for a National Championship in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, Watkins and the Women of Troy will find out their seeding with Selection Sunday tipping off on March 16.

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