As March Madness heats up, USC’s star guard JuJu Watkins is making waves both on and off the court. Recently, Watkins made history by becoming the first female college athlete to sign an exclusive, multi-year agreement with Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles. This milestone marks a significant achievement for the young player and the broader landscape of women’s sports.
Listen if you’ve been keeping up, Watkins is having an exceptional season, averaging 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. As the USC Trojans enter the NCAA Tournament as a number-one seed, they are set to face off against UNC Greensboro in the opening round on March 22, 2025.
Back to the deal: Under its terms, Watkins will be featured on a wide range of Fanatics-branded merchandise, including photos, basketballs, and autographed memorabilia. She will also have game-worn items inserted into collectible cards. Fans can expect to see Watkins in USC Trojans gear on the 2025 Bowman University Chrome Basketball cards, set for release on April 3, 2025. Previously, she had appeared in Bowman products, but this new collaboration solidifies her place in sports collectibles.
This super dope partnership adds to Watkins’ already impressive list of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals, which include major brands like Degree, United Airlines, State Farm, Gatorade, Nike, AT&T, Wells Fargo, and Taco Bell. With her growing presence in commercials, Watkins has become one of the most recognizable names in college basketball.
Get this: in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated, Watkins shared her excitement about breaking barriers for women in sports.
“The thing is to make it more common. I feel like we’re in a space where everything is kind of groundbreaking and the intent is to make it more of a regular thing and hopefully, more women get more opportunities like this,” she said.
Watkins also reflected on her love for trading cards, a passion that makes this new deal even more special to her. “I actually love unboxing trading cards – it’s really satisfying to me. This deal kind of pays homage to the fact that cards are such a big part of sports culture, so to be able to do something with the biggest brand in sports collectibles; it’s really cool to do,” she explained. “This is kind of like a rite of passage as a basketball player and it’s a great opportunity for me.”