No. 1 Class of 2027 hooper Kaleena Smith opens up to JuJu Watkins about how her family "sacrificed" for her 

Kaleena Smith and JuJu Watkins talked about Smith's favorite moments and motivation in a video posted by Overtime Select on Friday.

In the Instagram clip, Watkins asked the 2027 prospect about her favorite moment from the last season.

"I had a lot of favorite moments, for sure," Smith said. "I would say winning a Section State championship, we beat Etiwanda so that was a big deal, for sure."

Smith had 14 points and eight assists in Ontario Christian’s 65-63 win over Etiwanda in the 2025 Southern Section Open Division championship. She was double- and triple-teamed but hit two free throws with 17.6 seconds left to give her team the lead.

In the next part, Watkins asked how family impacted Smith's game.

"They just really motivate me, by the way that they sacrifice for me, and seeing that, it just makes me want to go harder and it makes me want to be the best player that I can be," Smith said. "And when I have those down games or bad days, I feel like I go back to them and lean on them. And they just pick me right back up and motivate me to continue to be great."

Smith gave an excellent performance for Team JuJu in the Overtime Select Takeover's Next Up 5s event on June 7. Watkins coached her team, while Flau'jae Johnson coached the opposite team. Team JuJu won 80-64 over Team Flau’jae.

JuJu Watkins headlines Unrivaled NIL Class featuring 14 college stars

USC star JuJu Watkins signed an NIL deal with Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The announcement came over the weekend.

Among the 14 collegiate stars who signed are LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and UConn’s Azzi Fudd. Other names in the group include Lauren and Sienna Betts, Kiki Rice, Hannah Hidalgo, Madison Booker and MiLaysia Fulwiley.

Watkins, already an investor in the league since December, now joins the league's marketing efforts as part of the 2025 NIL class.

“Investing in elite women’s basketball talent is central to Unrivaled’s mission,” Luke Cooper, Unrivaled's president of basketball operations, said in a statement on July 19.

Unrivaled’s inaugural season ended with Rose BC lifting the trophy and Napheesa Collier earning MVP honors. The league's second season is scheduled in January.

While the college stars won’t play in Unrivaled's 2026 season, they’ll represent the league in branding and promotional efforts.