USC's JuJu Watkins Says Players Should Have 'Option' to Leave School Early for WNBA

Right now, college players can't declare for the WNBA Draft until the year they turn 22.

USC guard JuJu Watkins celebrates a win. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In order for a WNBA prospect to declare for the draft, the player has to graduate college or turn 22 years old in the same calendar year as the draft. This has limited women's college basketball players for years as they often cannot declare for the WNBA draft until their senior seasons.

USC star and sophomore JuJu Watkins was asked about this controversial topic while appearing on Good Game With Sarah Spain alongside her coach Lindsay Gottlieb this week. Watkins sees both sides of the situation, where some people want the draft age to be lowered and others want it to stay the same because of the ever-growing college basketball landscape and NIL opportunities.

"I want to say personally I am enjoying my experience, Coach [Gottlieb]," Watkins said. "I definitely think we should have the option. There's just been such a growth in college basketball where it's like, why would you want to leave? Because you're able to have that experience and build your brand here in college as well. I would definitely say we should have the option but I think college is a way to prepare us for the pros as well. So, I don't know. It's a touchy subject, but I'm for it."

Gottlieb followed up Watkins's answer by explaining how the financial benefits in college basketball now with NIL deals would help many players still remain in college and not declare early if given the option. She used Caitlin Clark as an example.

"If you look at someone like Caitlin Clark, the platform of women's college basketball remains bigger, the eyes on the game remain bigger," Gottlieb said. "So the deals that she gets coming into the W and the financial power she has is greater because of the platform she had those last two years in college. If she had left after her sophomore year, she would have been ready, basketball wise, but she wouldn't have brought what she brings."

In addition to turning 22 years old in the same year as the draft, players can also declare earlier by graduating college in three years.

If the draft rule were to change, it's likely Watkins could've been declaring for the 2025 draft. Instead, she won't be eligible until 2027. She has the opportunity to keep growing her platform at the college level while also still improving her basketball game.

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