USC’s JuJu Watkins extends “one of the richest” shoe deals with $121-billion worth Nike

USC superstar JuJu Watkins signed a long-term contract extension with shoe giant Nike on Tuesday. The deal will give the sophomore guard one of the richest deals in women's basketball, per ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania via his X/Twitter account.

"Nike officials finished discussions Tuesday on the deal, with negotiations led by Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and Watkins’ team, including agent Jade-Li English, head of marketing Eric Eways and Vice President of Basketball Marketing Brittany McCallum," Charania added on X.

Nike is valued at $121 billion despite losing $26 billion of its value in its latest market capitalization figures released on June 28, as per Trefis.com.

The details of the transaction weren't disclosed but given the ESPN Insider's post, it would likely venture into the seven-figure mark, greatly boosting the USC star's NIL value of $576,000, as per On3.com.

Last season, Watkins led the USC offense, averaging 27.1 points per game, which is second in the nation only behind Caitlin Clark. She is set to lead the Trojans in its campaign in the Big Ten Conference in the 2024-25 women's basketball season.

Aside from USC; UCLA, Oregon and Washington transferred to the Big Ten, making it an 18-team competition this year. They're set to meet Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and 11 other schools while competing in the conference.

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JuJu Watkins set to continue women's basketball surge after Caitlin Clark

With Caitlin Clark bringing her talents to the WNBA, it's now time for JuJu Watkins to continue what her predecessor had started — pushing women's college basketball to even greater heights.

The transfer to the Big Ten could be a blessing for Watkins and USC. The team will take part in the richest Power Five conference in the NCAA in terms of revenue and the strongest division in the nation.

Watkins was able to lead the Trojans to the Elite Eight last season with just Rayah Marshall and a bunch of role players helping her on offense. Noticing the potential of the team, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb ventured into a large-scale talent hunt during the offseason and secured Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State guard Talia Von Oelhoffen from the transfer portal.

USC will be one of the top favorites to reach the Final Four with its retooled roster and will have a few weeks to prove the hype surrounding them is real. The Trojans start their campaign on Nov. 4 against Ole Miss.

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Will the JuJu Watkins-led USC live up to the preseason hype as Final Four favorites? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.