JuJu Watkins Helps To Strengthen The Momentum Of Women’s Basketball With Meta AI | Essence

Basketball star JuJu Watkins has truly come into her own. This past season, she set the NCAA freshman scoring record, was named USBWA National Freshman of the Year and an AP First-Team All-American. In addition to her athletic pursuits, she recently collaborated with Meta to participate in the brand’s “Super Fan” event in New York City. There, guests were able to experience a fireside chat that explored how women’s hoops has transcended the realm of sports, impacting genres such as fashion, beauty, music and art, which has encouraged athletes to express their personalities and interests both on and off the court.

Since its inception in 2015, Meta AI has become one of the world’s leading AI assistants. During the event, Watkins spoke about the impact and accessibility of Meta AI for young, aspiring athletes—especially from under-resourced communities. “I think that with the power of Meta AI now, girls can look up a training regimen or a diet plan, who don’t necessarily have the funds to pay for a trainer or dietician; there are so many resources that are essentially at our fingertips,” she said. “I think this can be a very powerful tool if used correctly.”

Watkins was joined onstage by Chance the Rapper, COVL, Ime Archibong, and Chloe Pavlech, the panel’s moderator. The conversation was centered around topics such as Meta AI’s potential to support aspiring musicians and independent artists, along with the program’s effectiveness when wanting to know more about one’s favorite players and teams.

“Knowing players on a deeper level, you can resonate with them and become even bigger fans of them,” Watkins says. “And I think that with the accessibility of Meta AI, and just being able to go to Instagram and search facts about a player that they want to know or don’t know yet on a deeper level. With social media, there’s a lot of opinions, and I think that Meta AI can offer a lot of facts to help you build your own opinion on a player.”

As one of the drivers of the increased popularity of women’s basketball, Juju’s participation in this event served as a testament of the sport’s impact. In the past two years, ratings in NCAA Women’s Basketball, as well as the WNBA, have reached historic levels. Additionally, the 2024 women’s tournament generated 60% more earned media coverage than the men’s tournament, while also setting viewing records across all six rounds. With the game continuing to grow, Watkins feels that this is only the first step on the road to prosperity and inclusion.

“It’s really inspiring to see just how much viewership has risen,” the USC standout says. “Seeing so many fans in the stands—it’s really inspiring just to see how quickly it took off. I mean, of course it’s been a long journey to this point, but I think that it will continue with more media exposure. I think the talent’s always been there, and it will continue to be there. So as long as we have the right platform to be put on the main stage, primetime slots, I think that our talent will speak for itself.”

For the new generation of women basketball players—and any sport, for that matter—technology and social media has several benefits. Meta AI can further assist people in educating themselves about the game, and hopefully ensuring its growth and success for generations to come.