University of Southern California freshman Judea “JuJu” Watkins is lighting up scoreboards and already taking her earnings to the bank.

She may be the top attraction to hit women’s college basketball since Brittney Griner.

Great athletes once made their reputations in college and their money later in the pro ranks. Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) changed all that.

Just two months into her Trojans’ career, Watkins, still just 18, already has $158,000 in NIL revenue (most notably with Nike and Lids) plus a Mercedes EQS to drive for the 2023-24 season. The cost of a Mercedes EQS starts at about $105,000.

“To be the first athlete to get a car is amazing,” she said in a YouTube video. “I’m super honored to have this blessing and I definitely hope many more women get this, too, in the future.”

Before enrolling at her hometown school in Los Angeles, Watkins became the first female athlete to sign with Klutch Sports Group, an LA-based agency that previously only handled financial affairs for male pros. Klutch’s clients include NBA stars LeBron James and Draymond Green, and NFL standouts Jalen Hurts and DeAndre Hopkins.

So, what’s so special about Watkins? You name it, she’s got it.

The 6-foot-2 Watkins attended the same Sierra Canyon High in Los Angeles as Bronny James (LeBron’s son), another well-publicized USC freshman.

Watkins was a two-time California Ms. Basketball, leading Sierra Canyon to a 60-3 record as a junior and senior with two state championships.

She was National Gatorade Player of Year, MVP of the McDonald’s All-Star Game and the consensus top recruit in America. She chose USC over South Carolina and Stanford.

She hasn’t disappointed Trojans fans or her sponsors. In her USC debut, she had 32 points in an 83-74 win over Ohio State in Las Vegas.

For the season, she has averaged 27 points and eight rebounds (with 25 steals) for the 10-1 Trojans. She hit 47% from the floor overall, 45% from beyond the arc and 78% at the foul line.

Few, if any, female players have burst on the scene like Watkins. Long before NIL sponsorship, 6-foot-9 Griner was an instant star at Baylor with similar high school accolades as Watkins.

Great as Griner was at Baylor, she only “got paid” after joining the WNBA. Watkins’ NIL loot to this point is just scratching the surface of her potential earnings.

LSU star Angel Reese has some $1.3 million in NIL with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Starry, PlayStation and Raising Cane’s among her sponsors. Still, when Reese first enrolled at Maryland in 2020, the NIL hadn’t begun to take off like it has now.

Reese transferred to LSU in 2022, following two seasons at Maryland.

Then there’s Caitlin Clark at Iowa. Clark reportedly is taking about $1.5 million from the likes of H&R Block, Hy-Vee and The Vinyl Studio.

For the extraordinarily gifted, the old days of playing college sports for room, board and tuition have passed.