Judea Skies "JuJu" Watkins (born July 15, 2005) is an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

player for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

. Watkins attended Windward School and

Sierra Canyon School Sierra Canyon School (SCS) is a private, coeducational university-preparatory day school located in Los Angeles, California. Sierra Canyon enrolls students in preschool through grade 12. Sierra Canyon School is accredited by the California A ...

, both in her hometown of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She was ranked the number one recruit in her class by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

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 The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. She received national freshman of the year recognition and set the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

freshman scoring record. Watkins has won two gold medals with the United States at the youth international level. She was named

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the 2022 FIBA Under-17 World Cup and the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship.

Early life and high school career

Watkins started playing basketball in a park league at age seven. She has trained with former

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) assistant coach Phil Handy and modeled her game after Arike Ogunbowale. As a freshman at Windward School in

, Watkins averaged 21 points and nine rebounds per game, leading her team to the

CIF Southern Section The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CI ...

Open Division title game and the regional final. She was named the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' Player of the Year. In 2020, Watkins was named SportsKid of the Year by '' Sports Illustrated Kids''. As a sophomore at Windward, she averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds per game. Entering her junior year, Watkins transferred to

in Los Angeles. 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 The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

and Ms. Basketball. She earned player of the year honors from the ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''

Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California, after the unrelated ''Los Angeles Times'', and the flagship newspaper of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado ...

''. 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. 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. Watkins was recognized as

Gatorade National Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

and

Naismith Prep Player of the Year The Naismith Prep Player of the Year award, named for Canadian basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to high school basketball's top male and female player. The inaugural awards were given to Dennis Sco ...

. 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. Watkins played in the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

, where she shared MVP honors, and the

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

Recruiting

Watkins was considered a five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2023 class, according to

. On November 15, 2022, she announced her commitment to

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

over offers from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

College career

Freshman season

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 The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

. She set the USC record for points in a freshman debut, surpassing

Lisa Leslie Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is formerly the head coach for Triplets (basketball), Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando ...

from 1990. On November 22, she posted her first

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

with 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 71–70 win over

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

. It was the first of three consecutive 30-point games by Watkins, which tied

Cheryl Miller Cheryl Deann Miller (born January 3, 1964) is an American former basketball player. She was formerly a sideline reporter for NBA on TNT, NBA games on Turner Sports, TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst, having worked ...

for the longest such streak in program history. On January 14, 2024, Watkins recorded 32 points and 10 rebounds in a 73–65 win over AP No. 2

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. On February 2, she scored a career-high 51 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 67–58 victory over AP No. 4

. Watkins broke the USC single-game scoring record held by Cherie Nelson since 1989. It was the first 50-point game by an

freshman since

Elena Delle Donne Elena Delle Donne (born September 5, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player for 10 seasons as a member of the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky. Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

in 2010. On February 23, Watkins scored 42 points in an 87–81 win over AP No. 11

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. She set the single-game scoring record for the

Galen Center The Galen Center is a multipurpose indoor arena and athletic facility owned and operated by the University of Southern California. Located at the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street in the Exposition Park area of Los Ang ...

, 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. In her next game, Watkins posted 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 74–68 loss to AP No. 18

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, passing Paula McGee for the program freshman single-season scoring record. At the end of the regular season, she was named

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

Freshman of the Year and All-Pac-12, while earning All-Defensive Team honors from the league's media. 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. 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. 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 The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. During the game, Watkins broke the Division I freshman scoring record, held by Tina Hutchinson of

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

since 1984. 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. 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 The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The U ...

(USBWA), and made the

Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBC ...

(WBCA) Coaches' All-America team. She received the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the nation's top shooting guard, and was named the top Division I Freshman of the Year by the

USBWA The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The U ...

and the WBCA.

Sophomore season

Entering her sophomore season, Watkins was named an AP preseason All-American and the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

preseason player of the year. 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 OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

. 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. 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. On December 21, Watkins led USC to a 72–70 win against AP No. 4 UConn, with 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists. On January 12, 2025, she posted 35 points on 13-of-15 shooting, 11 rebounds, and five steals in a 95–73 win over

. 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. 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. On March 24, 2025, USC announced that Watkins had torn the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

(ACL) in her right knee during a game against

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

during the second-round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The injury and subsequent surgery effectively ended her sophomore season, where she was the nation's fourth-leading scorer. She was named Women's National Player of the Year by the

, along with being named the

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is "the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's college basketball players of the year," as chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors. It is named in honor o ...

for the 2024–25 season. Watkins was also the winner of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award. Watkins was chosen over fellow finalists

Madison Booker Madison Booker (born April 29, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). High school career Booker played basketball for Germantown High School in Gluckstadt, Mississippi. As a ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, Lauren Betts of

, and

Paige Bueckers Paige Madison Bueckers ( ; born October 20, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies women's basketball, ...

. She was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year, becoming the first ever back to back winner of the prestigious award.

National team career

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. 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.

Career statistics

College

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, 34 , , 34 , , 34.6 , , .401 , , .319 , , .852 , , 7.3 , , 3.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , 4.1 , , 27.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2024–25 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 33.8 , , .426 , , .325 , , .820 , , 6.8 , , 3.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , 3.2 , , 23.9 , - class="sortbottom" ! style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 67 , , 67 , , 34.2 , , .412 , , .322 , , .836 , , 7.0 , , 3.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.7 , , 3.7 , , 25.5

Off the court

Personal life

Watkins is the daughter of Robert Neal-Watkins and Sari Watkins. She has 3 siblings: Mali, Dami, and Mar. Her great-grandfather, Ted Watkins, founded the Watts Labor Community Action Committee. Ted Watkins remains an inspiration in Juju's life, "I feel like my family, my great grandfather and my grandfather, have done so much for the community that it inspires me to want to take that step and really use my platform for something bigger than just basketball." She lists her family as a main source of motivation in her basketball career and life. Watkins also emphasizes the importance of community. Juju is an active member in her community, she told CBS Sports "From a philanthropy aspect, I try to be as active as I can." Watkins makes sure she gets companies that she has partnered with involved in her philanthropic efforts such as the Good JuJu Holiday Giveback.

Endorsements

In 2022, as a high school junior, Watkins signed with Klutch Sports Group, becoming the first female athlete to be represented by the agency. Later that year, she signed a

name, image and likeness In college athletics in the United States, a student-athlete who participates in a varsity sport on any and all levels is eligible to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Historically, the National Association of Intercollegiate At ...

(NIL) deal with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

. 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. She has also signed NIL deals with

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale "Celsius temperature scale, also called centigrade temperature scale, scale based on 0 ° for the melting point of water and 100 ° for the boiling point ...

Dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...

NerdWallet NerdWallet is an American personal finance company, founded in 2009 by Tim Chen and Jacob Gibson. It has a website and app that earns money by promoting financial products to its users. History NerdWallet was founded in August 2009 by Tim Chen ...

Ritz Ritz or The Ritz may refer to: Facilities and structures Hotels * The Ritz Hotel, London, a hotel in London, England ** Ritz Club casino * Hôtel Ritz Paris, a hotel in Paris, France * Hotel Ritz (Madrid), a hotel in Madrid, Spain * Hotel Ritz ...

State Farm State Farm Insurance is a group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1922, it is the largest property and casualty insurance, property, casualty and auto i ...

, and

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

among other companies. Watkins has invested in the women's three-on-three basketball league

Unrivaled Unrivaled may refer to: * Unrivaled (basketball) Unrivaled is a women's professional three-on-three basketball league in the United States. History The league was founded in 2023 by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, in part to allow WN ...

. 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.

References

External links

USA Basketball bioUSC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Juju 2005 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American women's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles McDonald's High School All-Americans Point guards Shooting guards Sierra Canyon School alumni USC Trojans women's basketball players Windward School alumni 21st-century American sportswomen