JuJu Watkins Gets Honest About Caitlin Clark's Personal Gesture of Support
USC Trojans sophomore superstar JuJu Watkins is gearing up for a run at the 2025 NCAA National Championship.
Despite her team coming up short against their arch-rival UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game, USC is still expected to be a No. 1 seed in the tournament and is considered one of the favorites to win it all.
During that conference tournament championship game, Watkins surpassed the amount of points that former Iowa Hawkeyes and current Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark amassed during the first two seasons of her college career. Therefore, Watkins only trails Clark's Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell's record for most points scored through their first two college seasons.
Much has already been said about the mutual respect that Watkins and Clark have shown each other. It's also no secret that Clark gave her phone number to Watkins to help support her in navigating superstardom.
And in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that released on March 13, Watkins got honest about what Clark's gesture meant to her.
"Watkins — who already surpassed Clark in point totals through their sophomore seasons — tells PEOPLE it 'means a lot' to have Clark's support," PEOPLE's Natasha Dye wrote.
"'I haven't yet reached out [to Clark],'" 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 article then added, "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."
JuJu Watkins Hasn’t Reached Out to Caitlin Clark Yet — But Says ‘It Means a Lot’ WNBA Star Offered Advice (Exclusive) https://t.co/iWBMEip6lq
— People (@people) March 13, 2025
While it's awesome to see these two supporting each other, that doesn't take away from the intrigue about them eventually facing off on the court in a few WNBA seasons.
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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.