I know what I was doing when I was a sophomore in college — and it certainly wasn’t making million dollar investments (one can only dream).
At just 19 years old, JuJu Watkins has not only solidified a financially prosperous future, but secured herself as a leader in the future of women’s basketball, joining the ownership group of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league that will make its debut in January.
Watkins joins Unrivaled’s latest $28-million investment round alongside Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Joe Ingles, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, former Bucks owner Mark Lasry, Fenway Sports Group’s Linda Henry and former NBA player Richard Hamilton. The league announced that their total capital raise is $35 million.
“What’s been great about the second round is, we’ve been selective,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said. “If you would’ve asked me a year-and-a-half ago if we’d be turning down people from investing, I would be like, ‘Well, no’ … but that was the reality.”
Already one of the most influential athletes in women’s basketball to date — and she hasn’t even graduated college yet — what makes this investment even more historic is that she is the youngest of the group at 19.
Watkins has raised her profile after a standout freshman season at USC when the first-team All-American scored 27.1 points per game with 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. She led the Trojans to a 29-6 record and a spot in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
She is currently featured in NBC’s docuseries On the Rise: JuJu Watkins, and has made history with groundbreaking NIL partnerships that include Nike, State Farm, Gatorade, Beats by Dre, NYX Professional Makeup, Funko, and several other major brands.
Unrivaled was founded in 2023 by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The first year will feature six clubs, including 10 total members from the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.