USC Trojans women’s basketball guard JuJu Watkins has been making Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals since she was a senior in high school. While it may be the offseason, Watkins is adding another NIL partnership, teaming up with Pottery Barn Teen.

Ahead of the 2024-2025 season, Watkins and Pottery Barn Teen teamed up to make her dream college apartment. The Player of the Year has partnered with the company again, this time to do an apartment makeover. 

“I feel like I’m constantly evolving and liking new things, but one thing that’s always stayed is simplicity,” Watkins shared. “I usually give my trophies to my mom, so it’s cool to have a display of my accomplishments.”

In Watkins’ updated living space, her accomplishments and other NIL partnerships are displayed, including a signed pair of Nike sneakers and trading cards from her Fanatics and Topps partnership. There are also game balls from her top performances.

Watkins is one of the most notable college athletes, with an NIL Valuation of $739,000, per On3. She ranked No. 2 in highest NIL valuations in women’s basketball, behind LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson. Watkins’ first NIL deal was with Nike while she was just a senior in high school, and signed an extension with the company on Oct. 24. 

Watkins signed with Klutch Sports in high school for NIL  representation, the same agency that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and USC five-star men’s basketball recruit Alijah Arenas. Since signing the deal in high school, Watkins has made many key business moves, partnering with companies such as Gatorade and Funko Pop.

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Watkins is one of the most prolific women’s college basketball players. She is coming off a stellar season, which was unfortunately cut short due to an ACL tear. Watkins exited the game during the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. 

In the 2024-2025 season, Watkins led the team in both scoring and assists, averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks. Watkins led the team in scoring and assists. She finished the season with a 42.6 field goal percentage and a 32.5 field goal percentage.

Watkins’ status for the 2025-2026 season is up in the air, and may not be known for a while. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb discussed Watkins’ injury with ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. Gottlieb admitted that she does not know what Watkins will do next season, and will not have those conversations yet.

“We don’t know what JuJu will do. Will she take the whole year and redshirt? Will she try to come back at some point?” Gottlieb said. “Those aren’t conversations for right now, but I do think we will dive into how do we stay an elite team regardless of the circumstances.”

Watkins has finished her sophomore season and has a couple of years remaining. She could choose to redshirt to get her full remaining years of eligibility, but that is yet to be determined. Watkins’ recovery could take anywhere from 9 to 14 months, the standard timetable for ACL tears.

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Napheesa Collier has swapped Nike properties, trading in the Swoosh for the Jumpman.

The Minnesota Lynx star has signed a multiyear deal with Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand—the apparel company inspired by NBA legend Michael Jordan. Collier, a four-time WNBA All-Star, had been with Nike for the last five years, regularly playing in player-exclusive Nike Kobes and KDs.

But it was time for a change, she said, citing the investment Jordan Brand is making into the women’s game. Jumpman branding, for example, has appeared on game uniforms for the last two WNBA All-Star Games as part of Nike’s partnership with the WNBA.

“Jordan has [its] own identity, [its] own athletes and does things a different way,” Collier said in a video interview. “There’s a big separation.”

In February, the Jumpman himself made an in-person recruiting pitch to Collier while she was in Miami for Unrivaled’s inaugural season. Collier said the Hall-of-Famer highlighted UConn and Lynx legend Maya Moore, the first woman basketball player to sign with the company, and the apparel giant’s potential to elevate her personal brand.

Jordan made a point to say that his company would continue to support her regardless of her sneaker decision. It was a conversation she described as far more about the brand’s ethos than money or merchandise allotment.

“It’s his brand but he doesn’t need to be on the ground doing these things,” she said. “So, for him to come to the meeting and do that was really meaningful. It was awesome.”

The Jordan Brand business has become a top performer for Nike, surpassing $7 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024.

Collier is switching to Jordan Brand as women’s basketball is experiencing unprecedented growth in viewership and cultural influence. The 28-year-old has put together a decorated career since being drafted in 2019, leading the Lynx to the WNBA Finals last season. But the WNBPA executive committee vice president and co-founder of new 3-on-3 league Unrivaled has also been one of the league’s most important voices off the court as a catalyst pushing for increased player wages amid collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

Collier, who officially signed with Jordan Brand last month, spoke with Jordan again after turning down the other shoe brands that had expressed interest during her sneaker free-agency period.

Collier said she’s happy to finally be on the same team as Moore, who officially retired in 2023. The Missouri native joins the Jordan Brand women’s roster of 12 WNBA players that includes Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and Las Vegas Aces guard Dana Evans. Collier’s move coincides with Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally leaving Jordan Brand for Adidas.

“This is a partnership that I want to have for the rest of my career,” Collier said.

Stars across the WNBA are dropping signature shoes; this month, Aces star A’Ja Wilson released her own sneaker, the A’One, which sold out in minutes. The three-time MVP is the 13th WNBA player to have a signature shoe.

When asked if Collier could be the next, she hinted that she and Jordan Brand may have something in the works. “You’ll have to stay tuned,” she said.

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The draft lottery has officially locked the Nashville Predators’ draft picks, and they’ll be picking 5th overall in the first round, before having two picks later in the round via trade.

Most eyes are on the early “lottery” pick in this talented draft pool, even at the fifth overall pick, you can grab a franchise-altering player. The question facing us today concerns whether or not Porter Martone is that player.

Our own Calvin Luckfield wrote a little about projected picks in this area and gave Martone a mention, but he’s a player worth exploring more.

Porter Martone: The Big Wing

In the NHL, we love us some measurables, and Martone certainly has them. Standing at 6’3″ and weighing in at around 205 pounds at just 18, Martone has the size that scouts love, and teams in the Western Conference need for playoff matchups and long seasons. You need more than size, though, and Martone has the numbers elsewhere.

Over his four-year career in juniors, with both the Sarnia Sting and Mississauga/Brampton Steelheads, he’s produced more and more with each season. This past year, in 57 games, Martone produced an impressive 98 points (37 goals and 61 assists) while also adding another 9 (4 goals, 5 assists) in 6 playoff games. He plays with an edge and ended up with a very respectable 74 penalty minutes as well.

In total, Martone has produced 204 points in the OHL, which is a pretty impressive number, especially when he’s only really had a featured role for the last two seasons. He also showed out on Canada’s under-18 World Juniors team, scoring 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 7 games. His U20 appearance wasn’t impressive, getting into just 3 games and managing one goal.

Why Should or Shouldn’t We Want Him?

Let’s put it like this: if there were a third Tkachuk brother, would you want him? Martone plays a heavy game, looking to inflict pain on defenders who keep him from the puck, and battles in front of the net for any and every loose puck. He’s also got a really good shot, and pretty great handles with the puck.

The flaw in Martone’s game is a common one. He isn’t fast enough for the NHL game, yet. While that doesn’t matter in the OHL, where he can dominate physically, in the show, it is a different story. He’ll need to work on improving his gas tank, top-end speed, and his ability to make decisions at high speeds. He will also need some work on the video board with the defensive end, as your best offensive guys typically aren’t asked to do a lot on the defensive end in juniors.

Martone is a player that every team wants and needs, but for the Predators, his position isn’t priority one. The Predators need center depth, and there might be more than one really good player available., but Martone might be good enough to take the risk.

Ask Penn State, who reportedly offered him a huge NIL deal to come play in Happy Valley.

Nothing is confirmed at the moment, but the NCAA would likely be a step up from the CHL for a post-draft year development wise. Martone won’t play more than one or two seasons anywhere else before taking his shot at the pros, but will that be as a Nashville Predator? We’ll find out soon.

Georgia football once again made a lot of headlines on Thursday as they quickly became one of the leaders for a five-star linebacker who recently decommitted from a blue blood program. On top of that, Georgia baseball got a much needed win on the diamond as well on Thursday

But let’s first begins with some eye opening NIL comments that were made by Kirby Smart.

Kirby Smart indirectly comments about Jackson Cantwell NIL drama

Earlier this week, Georgia lost the recruitment for five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell. After Cantwell decided to go to Miami (FL), many speculated it was because of a last ditch NIL offer from the Hurricanes that led him to choose Miami over Georgia.

It’s impossible to know if that is the real reason or not, but it has been reported that Miami is paying Cantwell $5 million across two years, so it’s impossible to think this didn’t have a major impact on his decision.

Smart appeared on Paul Finebaum’s podcast on Wednesday and spoke about NIL in general, and he expressed how he doesn’t want a freshman coming in and making more than the seniors on his team. While Smart didn’t mention Cantwell specifically, it’s hard to think that this comment wasn’t directed at him after hearing of all the massive NIL numbers thrown around in Cantwell’s recruitment.

New 5-star visitor heading to Athens this weekend

Five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin is a name that Georgia fans are going to want to monitor. Griffin had been committed to USC for about a year now, but he ended up decommitting from the Trojans on Wednesday. Then just one day later, Griffin announced that he will be making a visit to Georgia this weekend.

Griffin is from the state of Georgia and is the No. 1 linebacker in the country according to 247Sports, so it’s clear how important this visit is. Griffin will take multiple official visits throughout June this summer, so a commitment won’t be coming soon, but Georgia has a chance to put themselves in the lead with a great visit this weekend.

Georgia baseball downs Texas A&M

Georgia baseball began their final three game series of the regular season as they welcomed Texas A&M to Athens. Game one was Thursday night, and the Bulldogs came from behind to beat the Aggies 10-6.

Georgia has their spot in the NCAA Tournament locked up no matter what happens the rest of the season, and they also likely are guaranteed to earn a top 16 seed as well. But the goal is to earn one of the top eight seeds so they can host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and one more win this season could accomplish that.

Georgia will square off against the Aggies two more times this weekend, with game two beginning at 6:00 pm EST Friday night with senior night festivities will take place before the first pitch of this game as well.