The basketball world was stunned Monday night when superstar guard JuJu Watkins went down with an apparent knee injury in the first half Monday evening. As the All-American sophomore chased down a loose ball, her knee buckled in an unfamiliar fashion, leaving the crowd silent—hoping it wasn’t as bad as it looked.
JuJu Watkins sustained a season-ending injury in the NCAA Second Round on Monday night. She will undergo surgery and then begin rehabilitation shortly thereafter.
— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) March 25, 2025
The Lady Trojans cruised to a convincing 96-59 win behind a career-high from KiKi Iriafen, but the elephant in the room had the entire gym somber despite the blowout. ESPN’s Shams Charania delivered the news that all basketball fans were hoping not to hear: the player who accounted for over 30% of USC’s scoring this season is out for the remainder of the NCAA tournament.
Watkins led her team to an at-large bid behind a sensational season, averaging 24.6 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and 1.4 blocks. She is widely considered a frontrunner for Naismith Player of the Year.
Watkins is a special talent and will come back from this knee injury even stronger. The outpouring of love from current and former players has been overwhelming, and the support has been felt at every level. For a typically stoic Watkins to go down and show that level of emotion, it weighed heavily on basketball fans everywhere.
“She’s also a player who doesn’t show very much emotion ever,” Andraya Carter said on First Take this morning. “So to see that level of emotion and pain from JuJu, yeah—I think devastated, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking—those are not dramatic words.”
Watkins will be back next season, and her mindset will be on a mission.
Devastated to hear the news that Juju Watkins tore her ACL last night. I’m praying for a speedy recovery, but I know Juju is a competitor and will be back stronger and better! 🙏🏾
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 25, 2025
Prayers for Juju! 🥺🙏🏽
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) March 25, 2025
I pray juju okay 🙏 hate to see it
— Flaujae 4️⃣ (@Flaujae) March 25, 2025
