Gatorade officially signed former National Girls Basketball Player of the Year and University of Southern California star Juju Watkins to its elite athlete roster. As one of the breakout talents in college basketball, Watkins will work closely with Gatorade to inspire the next generation of athletes. This partnership includes supporting the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year program and starring in future marketing campaigns.
Gatorade has long been associated with top-tier athletes, and Watkins, known for her competitive mindset and leadership on the court, is a perfect fit for the brand’s roster. She joins a distinguished group of Gatorade National Basketball Players of the Year who have become long-term Gatorade athletes, including Candace Parker, Jayson Tatum, Paige Bueckers, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Jeff Kearney, Global Head of Sports Marketing at Gatorade, expressed his excitement: “Our Gatorade roster is the most elite in sport, and we’re proud to have signed many of our long-term athlete partners early in their careers. Having a dynamic young talent like Juju join the family is an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible impact she’s already made and leverage our combined platforms to continue moving the game forward.”
Watkins, now a USC guard and Gatorade athlete, shared her excitement about the milestone: “Gatorade has been a part of my life for years, especially after being named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2023, so I’m excited to officially be a member of the family. Gatorade partners with the best athletes in the world, so joining this roster is a huge milestone for me as I look towards the future.”
With this new partnership, Juju Watkins is poised to expand her influence both on and off the court.
USC sophomore standout JuJu Watkins has secured a lucrative multiyear contract extension with Nike, making it one of the most significant shoe endorsement deals in women’s basketball, according to ESPN.
Nike officials concluded discussions on the deal, with negotiations led by Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and Watkins’ team, which includes agent Jade-Li English, head of marketing Eric Eways, and vice president of basketball marketing Brittany McCallum.
Watkins initially signed with Nike in October 2022 while still in high school, and this extension cements her place as a rising star in women’s sports, both on and off the court.
The 2024 BET Awards celebrate amazing talents from the Black community from various fields. On May 17, 2024, BET released the full list of nominees for its 2024 Awards ceremony. Despite suffering a huge blow in his beef with Kendrick Lamar, Drake heads the nominations list for the BET Awards 2024 with seven nominations. He is followed closely by Nicki Minaj with six nominations. Meanwhile, Beyoncé got four nominations, while Victoria Monét has five nominations.
Like previous years, the BET Awards 2024 will include the Sportswoman of the Year category, which celebrates the most successful woman in sports from the previous year. The BET Sportswoman of the Year 2024 nominees are A’Ja Wilson, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, Flau’Jae Johnson and Juju Watkins. Other nominees for the prestigious award include Naomi Osaka, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Simone Biles. Follow as we x-ray each of the nominees for the BET Awards 2024 Sportswoman of the Year and discover their achievements in 2023.
WNBA and Los Angeles Aces star A’Ja Wilson enjoyed a stellar 2023 filled with personal and team glories. She played a pivotal role in the Aces’ run to the 2023 WNBA Championships. Victory over New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals meant the Aces won their second consecutive title after their 2022 triumph. Hence, they became the first WNBA team to win back-to-back Championship titles since the Los Angeles Sparks did the same in 2001 and 2002. A’Ja propelled her team to victory with her inspiring performances. She posted averages of 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in the finals. Thus, she unsurprisingly won the Finals MVP, the first in her career.
Besides winning the WNBA Championships back-to-back, A’Ja was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. That accolade meant she won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second time in a row after her 2022 win. A’ Ja is not only brilliant on the court but off of it, too. She is known for being an advocate for mental health awareness and racial equality. Through her platform, she promotes positive change and supports several charitable causes.
Angel Reese
Angel Reese’s stock in female basketball continues to rise. Her BET Awards 2024 nomination for Sportswoman of the Year is a testament to her significant impact in basketball within a short time. After spending her first two college seasons with the Maryland Terrapins, Angel joined the LSU Tigers in 2022. She went on to enjoy incredible success with the Tigers, helping them win their first national title at the end of the 2022-2023 season.
Since then, Angel has added more accolades to her name. She was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player at the end of the 2022-2023 season. Reese is also a two-time All-American Player and grabbed the Southern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year Title at the end of the 2023-2024 season.’Angel has added more accolades to her name. She was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player at the end of the 2022-2023 season. Moreover, she is a two-time All-American Player and grabbed the Southern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year Title at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
In addition to these, Angel was named to the first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team in her two seasons at LSU. On April 15, 2024, Angel got drafted into the WNBA. She was the 7th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Chicago Sky drafted Angel, who has enjoyed a good start to her WNBA career. On May 17, Angel added another feather to her cap after LSU announced her graduation. Besides basketball, Angel enjoys engaging in community development and youth empowerment projects. Angel will hope to win the BET Sportswoman of the Year award for the second time in a row after winning it last year.
Coco Gauff became a tennis sensation after her WTA Tour debut in 2019. The Atlanta-born athlete first made the world take notice of her incredulous talent after defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2019. Since then, Coco has only gone on to achieve greater things. Her first WTA Tour singles title win came in 2019 at the Linz Open. She reached her first major final in women’s double two years later at the 2021 US Open. In 2022, Coco reached the French Open final but lost to Iga Świątek.
However, Coco wasn’t to be denied in 2023. Last year, she claimed her first WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Masters before going on to win her first Grand Slam title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open finals. Away from the tennis courts, Coco uses her influence to inspire young athletes to be agents of change in their communities. This is Coco’s second nomination for the BET Sportswoman of the Year Award, and she hopes to be second-time lucky this time around.
LSU Tigers player Flau’jae Johnson rose from difficult circumstances to become a rising sportswoman and rapper. About six months before Flau’jae’s birth, her dad, a rapper named Camouflage, was shot and killed in May 2003. Flau’jae grew up loving and playing sports. She played baseball at a young age before going on to play basketball for Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia. Flau’jae was exceptional in her time at Sprayberry High School and carried on with that momentum at LSU, where she became the Tigers’ starting shooting guard in her freshman year. She helped the Tigers win the national championship in her freshman year and was named the 2022-2023 SEC Freshman of the Year. She also made the SEC All-Freshman Team for 2023 and Second-team All-SEC in 2024.
Inspired by her late dad, Flau’jae became a rapper to continue his legacy. She is signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and has appeared on The Rap Game and America’s Got Talent. Combining being a college student with being a top-rated NCAA star and rapper is no mean feat, but Flau’jae is doing it with class. Hence, she is a role model for aspiring athletes and artists and proves that hard work always gets you far.
Juju Watkins is an amazing talent and already has a truckload of awards and honors to prove this. After dazzling and earning rave reviews at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, Juju committed to the University of Southern California in November 2022. She continued with her incredible performances for the USC Trojans, breaking records and winning awards along the way. Some of Juju’s recognitions include the ESPN National Freshman of the Year Award 2023, the Gatorade National Player of the Year 2023, and the All-Pac-12 Team for 2024.
Juju is known for her exceptional scoring prowess. She set the record for points in a freshman debut, breaking Lisa Leslie’s record set in 1990. She also broke the USC single-game scoring record previously held by Cherie Nelson and set in 1989. Juju also helped the US win the FIBA U-17 World Cup in 2022 and was named the tournament’s MVP. Besides her ability to make baskets, Juju is athletic and has a high basketball IQ. She is definitely a promising talent bound to make more history in the coming years.
Naomi Osaka earned her sixth BET Sportswoman of the Year nomination. The two-time winner of the prestigious award will be hoping to win it for the third time after her 2021 and 2022 successes. Naomi needs no introduction. The 26-year-old has won four Grand Slam titles and is well on her way to becoming a sports icon. However, Naomi played little tennis in 2023. In January 2023, she announced she was expecting a baby with her boyfriend and rapper Cordae. The tennis star withdrew from the 2023 Australian Open and announced she won’t compete for the rest of the year. In July 2023, Naomi welcomed her daughter, Shai. She returned to professional tennis in January 2024 at Brisbane. Naomi competed at the 2024 Australian Open but lost in the first round.
Naomi is known for her activism, for which he has received multiple accolades. In 2020, she withdrew from the Cincinnati Open to raise awareness for the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Before then, she joined protesters in calling for justice after George Floyd’s murder. After giving birth, Naomi also called for the United States to introduce paid parental leave. Besides her activism, Naomi has also dealt with mental health issues. She has dealt with depression since 2018 and withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon in 2021 to deal with her mental health and well-being. Naomi also promotes charitable causes and urges athletes to take their self-care more seriously.
Sha’Carri Richardson
This is Sha’Carri Richardson’s third consecutive nomination for the BET Sportswoman of the Year. After a remarkable 2023, the athlete will be hoping she is third-time lucky. The world’s fastest woman is arguably the current face of women’s track and field. Sha’Carri endured a difficult 2021 and missed out on the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC metabolites, which indicated recent cannabis use. She was suspended for a month after the test results and completed a counseling program. After a not-so-good 2022, Sha’Carri came back firing in 2023. She won the Diamond League 100m race in Doha, setting a new meeting record of 10.76s.
Sha’Carri qualified for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with a time of 10.82s at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She enjoyed a successful stay in Budapest, winning her first major individual title by beating every other competitor to the 100m gold medal, posting a time of 10.65s. Sha’Carri also won the 200m bronze medal at the championships before helping Team USA win gold at the 4 x 100m relay. Team USA, comprising Sha’Carri, Tamari Davis, Gabrielle Thomas, and Twanisha Terry, set a championship record, posting a time of 41.03s. Known for her long nails and colorful hair, Sha’Carri identifies as bisexual and supports the LGBTQ+ community. Her positivity, incredible speed, and vibrant personality have endeared her to millions of fans worldwide.
Simone Biles won the BET Sportswoman of the Year award in 2020 and has been nominated multiple times. Her nomination for the BET Awards 2024 comes after an impressive 2023. Simone endured a difficult 2021 after leaving the Tokyo Olympic Games due to mental health struggles. Her decision to quit the games sparked much discussion, with some commentators criticizing her while multiple gymnasts praised her. Biles bounced back in 2023 and competed at the US Classic, where she qualified for the US National Championships. Simone won her eighth national all-around title, breaking Al Jochim’s previous record of seven national title wins. She also became the oldest woman to win the title.
Simone continued her stellar performance at the World Championships, where she helped the US team win a seventh consecutive gold medal. She also won her sixth all-around gold medal, surpassing Vitaly Scherbo as the most successful gymnast of all time at the World and Olympic championships. Simone won six gold medals at the World Championships, becoming the first gymnast in World Championships history to win many titles on one apparatus. 2023 was also a successful year in Simone’s personal life as she tied the knot with her long-term boyfriend and NFL star Jonathan Owens on April 22, 2023.
Iowa’s triumph over LSU in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Elite Eight garnered unprecedented viewership, with an average of 12.3 million viewers and a peak of 16 million viewers. This shattered the previous record set by LSU’s win over Iowa in last year’s championship, which averaged 9.9 million viewers and peaked at 12.6 million.
In Monday’s other Elite Eight matchup, UConn’s victory over USC drew 6.7 million viewers, approaching record-breaking levels for title game viewership. The viewership for UConn-USC peaked at 10.4 million viewers.
According to The Atheltic, these figures mark a significant milestone in women’s basketball viewership. Before last year, the previous record for an NCAA women’s basketball title game in the ESPN era (since 1996) was 5.68 million viewers for UConn’s title win over Oklahoma in 2002. Additionally, the record for any women’s basketball game before last year’s championship was 8.1 million viewers for a Virginia-Stanford national semifinal on CBS in 1992.
Caitlin Clark got her get back. In the Elite 8, Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes basketball team got the rematch of last year’s national championship matchup with Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers.
This time, the Hawkeyes were on the winning end, advancing to the Final Four 94-87. Clark had a dazzling performance of 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds, including long bombs from three-point range to create distance in the third quarter.
On the other hand, Angel Reese scored 17 points and 20 rebounds, which could be her last performance in an LSU jersey.
Following recent updates, we became curious about how gaming impacts the popularity of athletes. The analytical team at Renomowanekasyno delved into the Instagram of the remarkable Angel Reese. As of today, she has 2,781,293 followers, a significant increase from 2,750,217 on 03/03/24, marking a growth of 30,000 followers in just a month, an impressive statistic. We didn’t stop there; we calculated potential earnings from Angel’s sponsored Instagram posts, revealing she could make between $5,907 and $8,861 per post.
In the other Elite 8 matchup of the night, Paige Buckers and UCONN were too much for JuJu Watkins and the resurgent USC basketball program.
Bueckers reminded the NCAA basketball world who she is after missing the 2023 tournament. She scored 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists on her way to an 80- 73-point victory.
Bueckers, named the national player of the year in 2021 and recognized as the standout player in this regional, has now achieved the highest number of 25-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist games in a single NCAA tournament over the past 25 years, totaling three. This surpasses the previous record held by Candice Wiggins from 2008.
Watkins dropped 29 points and ten rebounds in the game, cutting her season short of the Final Four.
We will now have a clash of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark on Friday.
Caitlin Clark got her get back. In the Elite 8, Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes basketball team got the rematch of last year’s national championship matchup with Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers.
This time, the Hawkeyes were on the winning end, advancing to the Final Four 94-87. Clark had a dazzling performance of 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds, including long bombs from three-point range to create distance in the third quarter.
On the other hand, Angel Reese scored 17 points and 20 rebounds, which could be her last performance in an LSU jersey.
In the other Elite 8 matchup of the night, Paige Buckers and UCONN were too much for JuJu Watkins and the resurgent USC basketball program.
Bueckers reminded the NCAA basketball world who she is after missing the 2023 tournament. She scored 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists on her way to an 80- 73-point victory.
Bueckers, named the national player of the year in 2021 and recognized as the standout player in this regional, has now achieved the highest number of 25-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist games in a single NCAA tournament over the past 25 years, totaling three. This surpasses the previous record held by Candice Wiggins from 2008.
Watkins dropped 29 points and ten rebounds in the game, cutting her season short of the Final Four.
We will now have a clash of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark on Friday.
JuJu Watkins is just 24 games into her college career, but she has already taken the game by storm. An electric shooter, Watkins has 675 points to her name already and pundits are already wondering if she will go on to break the record Caitlin Clark hasn’t finished setting. But now, fans are clamoring for something else from the USC freshman – a signature shoe. “JuJu Watkins should be the first college hooper to have a signature shoe. Get it done now,” Nate Jones wrote on X.
However, not everyone was on board with the idea. “Not when she hasn’t won any thing compared to women of Troy and Cheryl Miller Cynthia Cooper she’s great but we need to see them cutting down the ribbon first and she’s a freshman come on man,” one person wrote in response to Jones. While Watkins, the nation’s No. 2 scorer behind Clark has been lights out, the Trojans have struggled with consistency at times. 21-4 with three games to play in the Pac-12, the Trojans will be hoping to stun the conference during tournament play or rally around a deep run in March.
Meanwhile, the one person scoring more points than Watkins this season is looking to break more records. Caitlin Clark is just 75 points away from breaking Pete Maravich’s long-standing NCAA points record. With three games remaining in the regular season, Clarke will most likely secure the record during the Hawkeye’s season finale against Ohio State.
The records might be hers, but Clark is far from done. Iowa is third in the Big Ten standings with a 12-3 conference record. Barring a complete collapse from Ohio State, the regular season title is likely out of reach for Iowa. After that comes the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness. With Clark expected to become the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, it would be only fitting for her to end her college career by avenging last year’s National Championship defeat.
Bronny James will continue to play off the bench for USC as they open conference play at Oregon on Thursday. James has been limited to 16 minutes a game due to his ongoing recovery from heart surgery. Additionally, his talent level compared to the Trojan starting five is also a factor. Despite the idea that James would play as a 3-and-D anchor, he is 30% from three and 33.3% from the field. Some USC writers have argued that James was never meant to be a prolific scorer. However, most agree that 5 points a game isn’t going to cut it.
Entering conference play, the Trojans are 6-5, having ended a three-game slide with a win over Alabama State. Despite being projected to finish second in the Pac-12, USC struggled immensely across their non-conference slate and will need to address some serious issues if they want to live up to expectations come March.
While James has been underwhelming in his return, the true freshman success story can be found in USC’s women’s team. Juju Watkins, the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, has been absolutely electric to start her college career. Watkins is second in the nation in scoring with 26.8 points per game. Her contributions were a major contributor to USC’s undefeated non-conference slate. The 10-0 run included a season-opening win over then-No. 7 Ohio State and has seen USC enter conference played ranked No. 6 in the nation.
However, the start of the Pac-12 slate brings with it USC’s toughest game yet. On Saturday, they face No. 2 UCLA in a game that could easily be a deciding factor in the regular-season title race. The Bruins are 11-0 and have notched ranked wins over UConn, Florida State, and Ohio State. Sophomore transfer Lauren Betts is having a huge breakout after seeing limited freshman minutes at Stanford. Betts also has the nation’s best shooting percentage, as the center is sinking 77.1% of her shots. However, UCLA also has the second-worst turnover rate in the Pac-12, something that could be key to a USC upset this weekend.
Houston’s own Don Toliver has been announced as the halftime performer for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Games. Taking place on Tuesday, March 28 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the MCDAAGs are the premier showcase of amateur basketball talent in the nation outside of March Madness. Toliver will perform between halves during the boys’ game, while the Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band will perform during the girls’ game.
In a press statement, Toliver said, “I’m ready to do my thing at the McDonald’s All-American Games halftime show. I have a lot of respect for how hard the players have worked to be at the top of their game, and it’s an honor to take center stage in my hometown where it all began for me.”
The rosters for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Games were announced earlier this year and include names like Bronny James — the son of NBA All-Star LeBron James — and No. 1-ranked girls’ player Juju Watkins of Watts, California. You can check out both groups’ rosters below.
Boys Roster:
East
Omaha Biliew, Iowa State
Aaron Bradshaw, Kentucky
Matas Buzelis, G League Ignite
Stephon Castle, UConn
Justin Edwards, Kentucky
Kwame Evans Jr, Oregon
Aden Holloway, Auburn
Elmarko Jackson, Kansas
Mackenzie Mgbako, Duke
Sean Stewart, Duke
D.J. Wagner, Kentucky
Cody Williams, Colorado
West
Xavier Booker, Michigan State
Isaiah Collier, USC
Mookie Cook, Oregon
Baye Fall, Arkansas
Jeremy Fears, Michigan State
Brandon Garrison, Oklahoma State
Ron Holland, Texas
Bronny James, Undeclared
Jared McCain, Duke
Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
Andrej Stojacković, Stanford
Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor
East
Zoe Brooks, NC State
Essence Cody, Alabama
Aalyah Del Rosario, LSU
Jadyn Donovan, Duke
Milaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Riley Nelson, Maryland
Courtney Ogden, Stanford
Laila Reynolds, Florida
Emma Risch, Notre Dame
Taliah Scott, Arkansas
Ashlynn Shade, UConn
West
Kamorea Arnold, UConn
Sofia Bell, Oregon
Madison Booker, Texas
Addy Brown, Iowa State
Breya Cunningham, Arizona
Kymora Johnson, Virginia
Tessa Johnson, South Carolina
Amanda Muse, UCLA
Juju Watkins, USC
Jada Williams, Arizona
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Sahara Williams, Oklahoma
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