“It’s about changing what women’s sports can look like,” Napheesa Collier said as she introduced Unrivalled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league alongside Breanna Stewart. Soon, she wasn’t alone in embracing the aim. Her husband Alex, Bazzell, joined as the president, 34 players from the W made the rosters, 6 coaches came in to guide, and with a management behind, the league was seeing support pouring in, in the form of investment rounding up to tens of million. One among them was JuJu Watkins, highly likely investing in her future.

USC’s 19-year-old guard has been on the top of her game this season averaging 24.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG along with an impressive 45. 4% Field Goal Percentage. She doesn’t seem to miss any opportunities on and off the field. After signing a historic deal with Nike, the young talent invested in the league as a part of the Series A funding group.

“You need people that can see a vision and aren’t worried about ‘How quickly can you exit?'” Bazzell had stated. “And then secondly, selfishly, for the business, we have to find partners who are willing to roll up their sleeves and utilize their networks and get us from point A to point B much quicker.” 

Watkins seemed to have ticked all the boxes, joining the series A investment round totaling up to $28 Million. She was among Olympic champion Michael Phelps, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, becoming the youngest investor for the league at just 19.

The league already has NIL deals with college players like Paige Bueckers and Flau’Jae Johnson. Watkins was offered a similar path, but the 19-year-old, with an NIL valuation of over 500 thousand as of October 2024, thanks to deals with Gatorade, Nike, and State Farm among others, chose to step ahead.  “She was adamant in investing,” Alex said.

Watkin is still sophomore and has some time left until she can make her appearance on-court. However, what is Watkins actually investing in?

Redefining Women’s Basketball

Unrivaled will tip off in January 2025 in Miami. A total of six teams will be taking part in the league’s first edition — Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose, and Vinyl Basketball Club. Founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, spearheaded by Alex Bazzell, the league aims to have the players keep coming back. And for that, Bazzell is determined to offer support and facilities both on and off the court.

“We built extensions to the venue for added space for locker rooms, for cold tubs, and everything genuinely for the athletes to have great experiences,” he revealed as one of the steps. The highlight, however, remains in the pay the league is offer — an average of $242,000. Having experienced the struggles, Phee and Stewie are vying for a transformation. 

“The principle of our league is that it’s the top talent, and women need to be paid accordingly. We need to be treated as professionals, and so that was a huge thing, is making sure that this is transformative,” the Minnesota Lynx star says. 

The league has currently signed players like Jewel Loyd, Angel Reese, Arike Ogunbowale, Aliyah Boston, and 30 more, with 2 soon to be revealed. At 19, JuJu is already part of a change brewing than many could have dreamt of just years ago.