Raise a glass: USC’s JuJu Watkins grabs hoops mantle with Gatorade, Nike deals

JuJu Watkins started counting wins weeks before her Southern California team takes the court for the start of college basketball season.

Watkins signed an endorsement deal, announced Tuesday, with Gatorade, the latest global NIL agreement for the point guard that puts her on a world-class athlete roster headlined by Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.

USC advanced to the Elite Eight behind Watkins’ phenomenal freshman season in 2023-24. She set the NCAA women’s basketball record for points by a freshman with 920.

Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the prominent agency fronting for LeBron James, represents Watkins.

Days after her endorsement deal with Nike was extended, Watkins served up official word she’s joining the Gatorade brand.

“Gatorade has been a part of my life for years, especially after being named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2023, so I’m excited to officially be a member of the family,” Watkins said in a statement. “Gatorade partners with the best athletes in the world, so joining this roster is a huge milestone for me as I look towards the future.”

Bueckers, a redshirt senior, opted to return to UConn for the upcoming season after being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Clark and Iowa in the Final Four. She has NIL agreements with Bose, Crocs, Gatorade, Nike, U.S. Army, Dunkin’ Donuts, Nerf and StockX.

The week of massive deals for Watkins adds to a burgeoning NIL portfolio and underscores her position as the heir to the women’s college basketball throne that Clark and Angel Reese (LSU) occupied in recent seasons. Her current paid agreements and endorsements also include Dove, NerdWallet, Wells Fargo, Poppi and Celsius.

“Our Gatorade roster is the most elite in sport. We’re proud to have signed many of our long-term athlete partners early in their careers,” added Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s global head of sports marketing. “Having a dynamic young talent like JuJu join the family is an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible impact she’s already made and leverage our combined platforms to continue moving the game forward.”

Watkins was the second-leading scorer in the NCAA last season, trailing only Clark.

For the sake of production comparison, Watkins is on pace to score 3,680 points if she plays four seasons. Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball with 3,951 season for the Hawkeyes.

Clark took the mark from Kelsey Plum, who had 3,527 points at Washington.