JuJu Watkins may not have crossed her teenage yet but she’s already setting up her future on and off the court. The USC sophomore, coming off a huge freshman season, where she was named the National Freshman of the Year, is making good on her Nike deal, the brand with which she originally signed about two years ago in October 2022.

The official Instagram account of ‘Nice Kicks’ announced, “USC’s JuJu Watkins has signed a multiyear contract extension with Nike that will give her “one of the richest shoe endorsement deals in women’s basketball,” per @shamsnba 😳🤑 @nicekickshoops”

The deal was finalized on Tuesday between Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and Watkins’ team. Agent Jade-Li English, head of marketing Eric Eways, and vice president of basketball marketing Brittany McCallum were present on Watkins’ side. But what’s interesting is what LeBron James’ agent had to say to the USC player on the latest episode of his podcast.

Jordan Richard says on Swish Cultures, “I think JuJu is the best person you can look at. She focuses on hoop and still has a big brand and still able to market herself.” To which Paul replies, “Yeah I mean look, everybody always wants more, more, more. But again, no one acts about the education first. Brands aren’t people in my opinion. There’s an IP that aligns with the brand, so JuJu’s IP aligns with several brands and create a partnership amongst her IP and this brand. Because you’re forever evolving.”

One of the faces of the NIL era, the Trojans guard has a valuation of $576k by On3. Given that Watkins first signed with Nike when she was a high school senior, her fame has only risen with her talent. Clearly, the reason why everyone around the nation, including LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul is mentioning her. Potentially, we will soon see her wear her own shoes one day instead of the Kobes with this latest contract.

Once in college, she set about breaking records and is even compared to Caitlin Clark. The USC player was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after she finished second in the country to Clark in scoring at 27.1 points per game. JuJu Watkins was also named the “Best Breakthrough Athlete” at the 2024 ESPYs.

Does she feel pressure at having to carry on the legacy that one of the most famous names in women’s college basketball set?

It’s kind of the same thing Caitlin Clark has said time and again, especially when the conversation around ROTY between her and Angel Reese was at an all-time high. “We don’t wake up and think about individual awards,” Clark said.

While the Fever didn’t go as far as they had hoped, there is hope for JuJu Watkins’ Trojans just yet. She led the Trojans to the Elite Eight last season, which was the school’s deepest NCAA tournament run in three decades. This upcoming season might be even better!