'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Coco Gauff recently endorsed USC women's basketball star JuJu Watkins' exceptional display against the UCLA Bruins on Friday, February 14. Watkins played a stellar role as she spearheaded USC's 71-60 upset over undefeated and top-ranked UCLA in the NCAA Women's Basketball Division I (DI).
Shortly after the conclusion of the match, ESPN journalist Alexa Philippou took to X (formerly Twitter) and delivered a resounding verdict pertaining to JuJu Watkins' performance. Philippou wrote:
"JuJu Watkins is the first player with 35 points, 5 blocks and 5 assists in a game in the last 20 seasons across all DI. She's also made 6 3s, has 11 boards, 8 total blocks. She's doing this against the undefeated, No. 1 team in the country. An all-time performance for the ages."
Trending
Later on, the 2023 US Open champion and current WTA No. 3 Coco Gauff shared a screenshot of Philippou's post via an Instagram Story. Gauff's Instagram post also featured a picture of Watkins celebrating USC's remarkable win over UCLA.
Apart from being an avid admirer of Watkins' basketball skills and feats, Gauff also shares a business connection with the 19-year-old.
Coco Gauff and JuJu Watkins are both investors in Unrivaled Basketball
Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, superstars of the WNBA and Olympic gold medalists, co-founded Unrivaled Basketball, a 3-on-3 women's pro basketball league that began on Friday, January 17, earlier this year. JuJu Watkins is among multiple high-profile investors in the league and Coco Gauff joined the list at the beginning of the year.
"I’m thrilled to be joining Unrivaled as an investor. Basketball is one of my favorite sports and the chance to support a league that’s redefining the game is exciting. I look forward to being part of this movement and continuing to help elevate women’s sports to new heights," Gauff said, explaining her decision to become an investor in Unrivaled Basketball.
On the tennis front, Gauff has had a mixed start to the 2025 season after a fantastic end to the previous one. She led the USA to the United Cup title at the beginning of the season and then reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Paula Badosa.
However, at the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open, the WTA No. 3 suffered a shock second-round upset at the hands of Marta Kostyuk. Her next on-court outing is set to come at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
