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Devastated WNBA Stars Share Encouragement for JuJu Watkins After Scary Injury

Blake Silverman

USC Trojans guard Watkins during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center.
USC Trojans guard Watkins during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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USC superstar JuJu Watkins went down with a scary injury during the first quarter of the Trojans' second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State Monday night. She was carried off the floor and couldn't bear weight on her right leg after a drive to the basket.

USC later announced that she was being further evaluated and would not return to the game. Watkins, one of the nation's best players and a top star across the sport, was named the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American for the second season in a row.

Support for Watkins immediately poured out following the heartbreaking injury. On the halftime studio show, ESPN's Elle Duncan summed up everyone's thoughts when she said the injury "not only changed the tenor of this game but potentially the tournament."

The sophomore is already beloved across the basketball world and destined to be one of the WNBA's next biggest stars. Some of the WNBA's current stars, including Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston and Breanna Stewart, posted support for Watkins following the injury:

USC rolled against Mississippi State on their way to the Sweet 16. Now, everyone hopes Watkins's injury isn't as serious as it looked.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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