All of a sudden, everything changed for JuJu Watkins. The USC Trojans standout, who had dominated on the court, was now being helped off it. Watkins is now sidelined by a tough injury, and her WNBA future is uncertain.
On March 24, 2025, in the first quarter of USC’s NCAA Tournament game against Mississippi State, Watkins drove to the basket and was defended by Chandler Prater. As she planted her right foot, she gave way and tore her ACL.
The contact was light, and officials later ruled it a routine foul. Watkins had been averaging 23.9 points per game this season before the injury, making her a frontrunner for AP Women’s Player of the Year and a likely high WNBA Draft pick.
Chelsea Gray Offers Advice to USC’s Watkins
The recovery period for an ACL injury is typically six to nine months. For Watkins, this means her season is over, which has raised concerns about her draft stock.
In the meantime, the support for Watkins has been widespread. Indiana Fever and WNBA star Caitlin Clark posted, “Sending all my thoughts and prayers to JuJu. Kid will come back stronger than ever ❤️”
Sending all my thoughts and prayers to JuJu. Kid will come back stronger than ever ❤️
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) March 25, 2025
WNBA legend Lisa Leslie also shared her support, tweeting, “My heart is broken 💔 I will keep you in my prayers 🙏🏾 @Jujubballin I know you will be back stronger and better!! Fight On @USCWBB for Juju ✌🏿”
As Watkins focuses on her recovery and comeback to basketball, Las Vegas Aces’ 3x WNBA champion Chelsea Gray offered some advice to the USC prodigy.
During an appearance on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” show, she shared, “It’s not a race. Don’t try to come back too soon. The game will be there for you to come back to. The worst thing I ever did was come back too soon. Feel like I’m losing something like people know who you are. People are respecting when you come back, but it’s going to be even better if you come back healthy.”
Chelsea Gray gives advice to JuJu Watkins while recovering from a torn ACL:
“The worst thing I ever did was comeback too soon…I think she’s gonna comeback even better. But, she has to take it one day at a time.”@cgray209 | @MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/a66ZC03v86
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 26, 2025
“So my biggest thing is just take it one day at a time. Your circle’s going to get even tighter for people that want you to succeed and want you to do right. So I’m excited for her journey. I think she’s going to come back even better, but she just has to take it one day at a time,” she added.
Watkins faces a tough road ahead, but the basketball community’s support shows the belief they have in her strength and future.