USC's JuJu Watkins joins $12 million worth Dawn Staley, QB Caleb Williams as latest investors in the Unrivaled

JuJu Watkins is emerging as one of the faces of women's college basketball. Besides excelling on the court, the sophomore guard is also making moves off it, becoming one of the highest NIL-earners in women's college basketball.

Watkins made a bold move to invest in Unrivaled, the up-and-coming 3x3 women's basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

The USC guard joined South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley, who has a net worth of $12 million per Celebrity Net Worth. The other investors are 28-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and eight-time NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo in Unrivaled's latest investment round, the Series A round, in which the league raised $28 million per Sportico.

This August, Unrivaled signed a massive NIL deal with Paige Bueckers and recently added LSU star Flau'jae Johnson to the mix. The duo will also participate in the exciting new 3x3 league soon after the end of the ongoing college basketball season and while Watkins was offered a similar deal to Bueckers and Johnson, she was adamant on simply investing in the upstart league.

Unrivaled's official account revealed the league has now raised a total capital of $35 million, signifying the interest in the new league which will commence on January 17, 2025.

JuJu Watkins strikes gold in NIL scene

JuJu Watkins has enjoyed a stellar year, signing massive NIL deals following a breakout freshman season at USC. In the last three months, she has secured historic NIL deals with State Farm, Gatorade and NYX Professional Makeup, while extending her existing shoe deal with Nike.

On October 10, Watkins became only the third women's college athlete after Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade, signifying her importance to the current women's college basketball scene.

Watkins produced one of the most emphatic freshman seasons in NCAA history. She led the USC Trojans to the Elite Eight in March Madness last season. She won the ESPN Freshman of the Year, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year and an ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete.

This season, Watkins has picked up from where she left off, powering the Trojans to 10 wins in their opening 11 games, averaging 24.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

The next stop for JuJu Watkins and No. 7 USC is a difficult game against Bueckers and No. 4 UConn, which will take place on December 21 at 8:00 PM ET.