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JuJu Watkins
No. 12 – USC Trojans
PositionGuard
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2005-07-15) July 15, 2005 (age 19)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Career information
High school
CollegeUSC (2023–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2022 Hungary Team
FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 2021 Mexico Team

Judea Skies "JuJu" Watkins (born July 15, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the USC Trojans of the Big Ten Conference.

Watkins attended Windward School and Sierra Canyon School, both in her hometown of Los Angeles. She was ranked the number one recruit in her class by ESPN and earned national high school player of the year honors as a senior at Sierra Canyon. In her first season at USC, Watkins was named a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. She received national freshman of the year recognition and set the NCAA Division I freshman scoring record.

Watkins has won two gold medals with the United States at the youth international level. She was named Most Valuable Player of the 2022 FIBA Under-17 World Cup and the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship.

Early life and high school career

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Watkins started playing basketball in a park league at age seven.[1] She has trained with former National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach Phil Handy and modeled her game after Arike Ogunbowale.[2] As a freshman at Windward School in Los Angeles, Watkins averaged 21 points and nine rebounds per game, leading her team to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title game and the regional final. She was named the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year.[3] In 2020, Watkins was named SportsKid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids.[4] As a sophomore at Windward, she averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds per game.[2]

Entering her junior year, Watkins transferred to Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles.[5] She led her team to the Open Division state title and a 30–2 record as a junior. After averaging 25 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists, Watkins was named California Gatorade Player of the Year and Ms. Basketball.[6][7] She earned player of the year honors from the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News.[8][9] As a senior, Watkins averaged 27.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, leading Sierra Canyon to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title, a 31–1 record and the regional final.[10] On senior night, she scored a career-high 60 points, the second-most points in a game in area history, in an 88–39 win over Notre Dame High School.[11] Watkins was recognized as Gatorade National Player of the Year and Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She repeated as player of the year from the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News, as well as California Gatorade Player of the Year and Ms. Basketball.[12][13] Watkins played in the McDonald's All-American Game, where she shared MVP honors, and the Nike Hoop Summit.[14]

Recruiting

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Watkins was considered a five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2023 class, according to ESPN. On November 15, 2022, she announced her commitment to USC over offers from South Carolina and Stanford.[15]

College career

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Freshman season

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On November 6, 2023, Watkins made her college debut and scored 32 points in an 83–74 upset win over AP No. 7 Ohio State. She set the USC record for points in a freshman debut, surpassing Lisa Leslie from 1990.[16] On November 22, she posted her first double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 71–70 win over Penn State.[17] It was the first of three consecutive 30-point games by Watkins, which tied Cheryl Miller for the longest such streak in program history.[18] On January 14, 2024, Watkins recorded 32 points and 10 rebounds in a 73–65 win over AP No. 2 UCLA.[19] On February 2, she scored a career-high 51 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 67–58 victory over AP No. 4 Stanford. Watkins broke the USC single-game scoring record held by Cherie Nelson since 1989.[20] It was the first 50-point game by an NCAA Division I freshman since Elena Delle Donne of Delaware in 2010.[21] On February 23, Watkins scored 42 points in an 87–81 win over AP No. 11 Colorado. She set the single-game scoring record for the Galen Center, her team's home arena, and had her 11th 30-point game, eclipsing Cheryl Miller for the most in a season by a USC player.[22][23] In her next game, Watkins posted 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 74–68 loss to AP No. 18 Utah, passing Paula McGee for the program freshman single-season scoring record.[24] At the end of the regular season, she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and All-Pac-12, while earning All-Defensive Team honors from the league's media.[25][26]

In the semifinals of the 2024 Pac-12 tournament, Watkins posted 33 points and 10 rebounds in an 80–70 double overtime win over UCLA. She set the tournament single-game scoring record by a freshman.[27] Although Watkins was held to nine points on 2-of-15 shooting in the final, her team defeated Stanford, 67–58, to win its first Pac-12 tournament since 2014.[28] She led USC to the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA tournament, where she had 29 points and 10 rebounds in an 80–73 loss to UConn. During the game, Watkins broke the Division I freshman scoring record, held by Tina Hutchinson of San Diego State since 1984.[29] As a freshman, she averaged 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, ranking second among Division I players in scoring.[30] Watkins was a unanimous first-team All-American: she earned first-team All-American accolades from the AP and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and made the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches' All-America team.[31][32][33] She received the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the nation's top shooting guard, and was named the top Division I freshman by the USBWA and the WBCA.[30]

Sophomore season

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Entering her sophomore season, Watkins was named an AP preseason All-American and the Big Ten preseason player of the year.[34][35] In her season debut on November 4, 2024, she posted 27 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a 68–66 win over AP No. 20 Ole Miss.[36] On November 15, Watkins became the fastest USC player to reach 1,000 career points (38 games) and tied for the fourth-fewest games in Division I history to reach the mark, as part of a 22-point effort against Santa Clara.[37] On December 3, she scored a season-high 40 points and shot 9-of-11 from three-point range in a 94–52 victory over California Baptist, breaking the program single-game record in three-pointers.[38] On December 21, Watkins led USC to a 72–70 win against AP No. 4 UConn, with 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists.[39] On January 12, 2025, she posted 35 points on 13-of-15 shooting, 11 rebounds, and five steals in a 95–73 win over Penn State.[40] Watkins led USC to a 71–60 victory over undefeated, AP No. 1 UCLA on February 13, recording 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks, and five assists. She became the first Division I player in 20 seasons with at least 35 points, five blocks, and five assists in a game.[41] On March 1, Watkins scored 30 points in a rematch with AP No. 2 UCLA, helping her team win 80–67 and clinch the Big Ten regular season championship.[42]

National team career

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Watkins won a gold medal with the United States at the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. She averaged 20 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 3.7 assists per game, earning tournament MVP honors.[43] At the 2022 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Hungary, Watkins led her team to the gold medal and was named MVP after averaging 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.[44]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2023–24 USC 34 34 34.6 40.1 31.9 85.2 7.3 3.3 2.3 1.6 4.1 27.1

Off the court

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Personal life

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Watkins is the daughter of Robert Neal-Watkins and Sari Watkins. Her great-grandfather, Ted Watkins, founded the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.[1]

Endorsements

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In 2022, as a high school junior, Watkins signed with Klutch Sports Group, becoming the first female athlete to be represented by the agency.[45] Later that year, she signed a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike.[46] In October 2024, Watkins signed a multi-year contract extension with Nike, described by ESPN as one of the largest shoe deals in women's basketball.[47] She has also signed NIL deals with AT&T, Celsius, Dove, Gatorade, NerdWallet, Ritz, State Farm, and Wells Fargo among other companies.[48][49][50] Watkins has invested in the women's three-on-three basketball league Unrivaled.[51] She is estimated to be one of the highest-earning women's college basketball players from NIL deals and was named Best NIL Athlete by Sports Business Journal in 2024.[52][53]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sondheimer, Eric (February 15, 2020). "Windward freshman Juju Watkins could be a 'game changer'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Drumwright, Steve (June 15, 2021). "Juju Watkins Represents her Country and Community with Pride". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (March 28, 2020). "The Times' girls' basketball player of the year: Juju Watkins". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Bechtel, Mark (November 20, 2020). "Juju Watkins is the 2020 SportsKid of the Year". Sports Illustrated Kids. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (July 24, 2021). "Top girls' basketball player Juju Watkins leaves Windward for Sierra Canyon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Fattal, Tarek (March 10, 2022). "Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins named Gatorade's California girls basketball player of the year". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Abend, Harold (April 20, 2022). "Ms. Basketball 2022: Jumping for Juju". CalHiSports. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Fattal, Tarek (April 6, 2022). "Daily News 2022 Player of the Year: Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins a bona fide basketball trailblazer". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (March 20, 2022). "Girls' basketball player of the year: Juju Watkins of Sierra Canyon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Evans, Luca (March 19, 2023). "Girls' basketball player of the year: Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Evans, Luca (January 31, 2023). "Juju Watkins scores career-high 60 points for Sierra Canyon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Fattal, Tarek (April 8, 2023). "Daily News All-Area Girls Basketball: Sierra Canyon's Juju Watkins repeats as the Player of the Year". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "USC's Juju Watkins Named Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year". USC Athletics. March 13, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Evans, Luca (March 28, 2023). "Juju Watkins stars in McDonald's All-American Game; Bronny James, Jared McCain impress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  15. ^ Gibson, Charlotte (November 15, 2022). "No. 1 women's basketball recruit Juju Watkins commits to USC". ESPN. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "JuJu Watkins' 32-Point Debut Helps No. 21 USC Women's Basketball Upset No. 7 Ohio State". USC Athletics. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  17. ^ "JuJu Watkins has 31 points, last 7 of game, No. 8 USC women edge Penn State 71-70 in Bahamas". Associated Press. November 22, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  18. ^ "JuJu Watkins Records Third Straight 30-Point Game As No. 6 USC Tops San Diego 89-58". USC Athletics. December 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  19. ^ "JuJu Watkins, No. 9 USC send No. 2 UCLA to first loss in rematch". ESPN. Associated Press. January 14, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  20. ^ Philippou, Alexa (February 3, 2024). "USC's JuJu Watkins explodes for 51, keys upset of Stanford". ESPN. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  21. ^ "JuJu Watkins Scores USC-Record 51 points To Help No. 15 USC Women's Basketball Upset No. 4 Stanford 67-58". USC Athletics. February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  22. ^ Evans, Luca (February 23, 2024). "JuJu Watkins' legend grows with 42-point game as USC women top Colorado". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "No. 7 USC Women's Basketball Erupts For 87-81 Win Over No. 11 Colorado At Galen Center". USC Athletics. February 23, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 25, 2024). "Another JuJu Watkins record can't save No. 7 USC from loss to No. 18 Utah". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "2023-24 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Media Awards announced". Pac-12 Conference. March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  26. ^ "2023-24 Pac-12 Women's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva". Pac-12 Conference. March 5, 2024. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Philippou, Alexa (March 9, 2024). "JuJu Watkins scores 33, sends USC to Pac-12 final with 2-OT win". ESPN. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Philippou, Alexa (March 10, 2024). "USC takes Pac-12 title despite rare off night for JuJu Watkins". ESPN. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  29. ^ Pelton, Kevin (April 2, 2024). "JuJu Watkins' historic season for USC ends in Elite Eight loss". ESPN. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Geitheim, Eva (July 1, 2024). "USC Women's Basketball: JuJu Watkins Nominated for ESPY". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  31. ^ "USBWA Unveils 2023-24 Women's All-America Team". United States Basketball Writers Association. March 19, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  32. ^ "The Associated Press 2023-24 women's college basketball All-America teams". Associated Press. March 20, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  33. ^ "Caitlin Clark wins second Wade Trophy, headlines 2024 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America team". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. April 4, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  34. ^ "JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers lead preseason All-America team". ESPN. Associated Press. October 22, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  35. ^ "USC, JuJu Watkins Headline Big Ten Preseason Honors". Big Ten Conference. September 26, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  36. ^ Anderson, Kari (November 4, 2024). "USC's JuJu Watkins drops 27 points in thrilling opening day win against Ole Miss in Paris". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  37. ^ "USC's JuJu Watkins reaches 1,000 career points in 38th game". ESPN. November 15, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  38. ^ "Watkins hits career-high, school-record 9 3-pointers in No. 6 USC's 94-52 win over Cal Baptist". ESPN. Associated Press. December 3, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  39. ^ Philippou, Alexa (December 21, 2024). "JuJu Watkins stars as USC holds off Paige Bueckers, UConn". ESPN. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  40. ^ "Watkins and Iriafen lead No. 4 USC over Penn State 95-73, keeping Nittany Lions winless in Big Ten". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  41. ^ Uggetti, Paolo (February 14, 2025). "JuJu Watkins dazzles as USC rallies to stun top-ranked UCLA". ESPN. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  42. ^ Harris, Beth (March 2, 2025). "USC's JuJu Watkins hangs 30 points on UCLA at historic Pauley Pavilion". Associated Press. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  43. ^ Williams, Aaron (March 16, 2022). "High school girls basketball: JuJu Watkins' star power has another season to shine". MaxPreps. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  44. ^ Gibson, Charlotte (November 9, 2022). "No. 1 basketball recruit Juju Watkins puts game before fame". ESPN. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  45. ^ Newman, Logan (February 11, 2022). "Klutch signs Sierra Canyon star Juju Watkins as first female athlete client". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  46. ^ Zagoria, Adam (October 10, 2022). "Nike Signs Bronny James, D.J. Wagner, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones, JuJu Watkins To NIL Deals". Forbes. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  47. ^ Charania, Shams (October 8, 2024). "Sources: USC's JuJu Watkins, Nike reach lucrative extension". ESPN. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  48. ^ Shaw, Susan M. (April 2, 2024). "After NerdWallet Deal, USC Women's Basketball Star JuJu Watkins Plans For NIL Success". Forbes. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  49. ^ "Gatorade Signs College Hoops Star JuJu Watkins to Multiyear Deal". Bloomberg.com. October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  50. ^ Golden, Jessica (November 25, 2024). "State Farm signs JuJu Watkins and increases investment in women's sports". CNBC. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  51. ^ Maloney, Jack (December 19, 2024). "USC's JuJu Watkins becomes investor in Unrivaled, says she will 'for sure' play in 3-on-3 league someday". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  52. ^ Hollowell, Kendell (January 23, 2025). "Women's College Basketball Stars Earning Major NIL Money: JuJu Watkins, Cavinder Twins". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  53. ^ Portnoy, Ben (December 23, 2024). "Year-End Awards: Best NIL Athlete — JuJu Watkins, USC women's basketball". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
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