JuJu Watkins' Nike Deal is Shams Charania's First Major ESPN News Story
Anybody who has been following women's basketball over the past year or so has noticed just how much the game has grown. While this is largely attributed to Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, there have been several other young players who've also made their respective marks.
One of these is USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins. Watkins burst onto the college basketball scene as a freshman last season and finished second to Clark in points per game in the NCAA.
Because of this, Watkins has ascended to a new level of superstardom heading into her sophomore season. This is proven by basketball insider Shams Charania — who set the sports world ablaze on Monday when he announced that he would be leaving The Athletic for ESPN — had his first major ESPN breaking news story be about the new Nike deal Watkins has inked.
"USC sophomore star JuJu Watkins has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with Nike that will give her one of the richest shoe endorsement deals in women's basketball, sources told ESPN on Tuesday," wrote in the October 8 article.
"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," he added.
USC sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins has agreed on a multiyear contract extension with Nike that will give her one of the richest shoe endorsement deals in women’s basketball, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/zjEAeOTXeT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 8, 2024
While this wasn't technically Charania's first breaking news story at ESPN (he broke news about Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. agreeing to a contract extension on Monday evening), it is the first breaking news story he deemed major enough to write an accompanying article on ESPN for.
Although this might seem like semantics, it's also another indication that not only Watkins but all of women's basketball has ascended into the mainstream.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.