JuJu Watkins Says ‘It Means a Lot’ Caitlin Clark Offered Her Advice (Exclusive)


0


USC basketball star JuJu Watkins is getting ready for her second March Madness tournament.

And last week, as the 19-year-old sophomore prepared along with her team for the big dance, Watkins’ coach Lindsay Gottlieb revealed that WNBA star Caitlin Clark offered to “help her navigate” college basketball stardom.

Watkins — who already surpassed Clark in point totals through their sophomore seasons — tells PEOPLE it “means a lot” to have Clark’s support.

“I haven’t yet reached out,” says Watkins, while speaking about her new partnership with Degree. “Maybe. I mean, just to know that I have that support, it means a lot.”

The USC basketball star adds that she’s a “big fan of” Clark’s and she’s enjoyed seeing the Indiana Fever guard “killing it” in her first WNBA season. “I’m always proud and cheering her on,” says Watkins.

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) looks on during a women’s college basketball game on March 1, 2025, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.

Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty


“She’s just a super dope person and for her to do that, that means a lot,” she says of Clark’s offer. “But I haven’t reached out yet.”

Watkins notes that coach Gottlieb is “one of the main reasons” she plays for USC. “Just because she’s so honest and she doesn’t sugarcoat things with me,” she says. “We’re super tight.”

And although Watkins is close to breaking additional NCAA records, she says the team “definitely comes first and everything else after.”

Watkins has little time between basketball, school and business these days. But it’s not all work — the college athlete says she recently found time to attend a Tyler, the Creator concert. “I’ve been a long time fan,” she says of the rapper.

In addition to partnerships with Nike and Nyx, she’s now the face of Degree deodorant, a brand she says is “part of my everyday routine” and one that aligns with her values. “It was an authentic decision process…I was eager to do it, especially knowing their investment in women’s sports,” says Watkins.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Needing deodorant? Relatable. Breaking NCAA basketball records? Not so much. Still, Watkins says she’s a pretty normal college kid at the end of the day. “I like to be home a lot…I like to just chill on the couch,” says Watkins, a new dog mom to a Frenchie.

“I’m a big show person,” says Watkins. These days, she’s enjoying Severance on Apple+ and though she’s “not the biggest fan” of the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, she’s still tuning in.




Don’t miss the Buzz!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.


Like it? Share with your friends!

0

What's Your Reaction?

hate hate
0
hate
confused confused
0
confused
fail fail
0
fail
fun fun
0
fun
geeky geeky
0
geeky
love love
0
love
lol lol
0
lol
omg omg
0
omg
win win
0
win

0 Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Choose A Format
Personality quiz
Series of questions that intends to reveal something about the personality
Trivia quiz
Series of questions with right and wrong answers that intends to check knowledge
Poll
Voting to make decisions or determine opinions
Story
Formatted Text with Embeds and Visuals
List
The Classic Internet Listicles
Countdown
The Classic Internet Countdowns
Open List
Submit your own item and vote up for the best submission
Ranked List
Upvote or downvote to decide the best list item
Meme
Upload your own images to make custom memes
Video
Youtube and Vimeo Embeds
Audio
Soundcloud or Mixcloud Embeds
Image
Photo or GIF
Gif
GIF format