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JuJu Watkins Borrows Shaq's Iconic 'BBQ Chicken' Line When Discussing Dicing Defenses

USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins used Shaq's "barbeque chicken" line when diagnosing her recent success.

Grant Young

Dec 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has become a household name due to his Hall of Fame basketball career, his fame is largely owed to his larger-than-life personality.

This personality often shines brightest with some of his iconic phrases spoken over the years; perhaps none more iconic than when he says "barbeque chicken" or "barbeque chicken alert" when commentating for Inside the NBA, which is his hilarious way of signifying that a player is dominating the person guarding them, "cooking" them like a piece of barbecue chicken.

This "barbeque chicken" phrase has become ubiquitous within the basketball community and is used whenever someone is having their way on offense.

The most recent superstar to use this iconic line is USC Trojans sophomore JuJu Watkins, who borrowed it after she scored 31 points against No. 23 ranked Michigan on December 29.

A reporter asked Watkins, "How important is it for you to try to make the game easier for yourself, so you don't have to do too much?" per the USCAthletics YouTube account.

"I think that's always the goal to simplify the game and play smart," Watkins said. "But for me, it was adjusting to the team we were playing. It's always going to take an adjustment. I think most of the game, I take the first quarter to kind of survey what the defense is doing and try to read the defense to the best of my ability.

"And then once I get the hang of it, it's barbeque chicken from there," Watkins continued while laughing.

The entire room erupted in laughter, and Watkins also relished her own joke.

There's no question that Watkins has been cooking opponents on the court this season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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