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LeBron James Had Three-Word Message for JuJu Watkins After Historic Performance
JuJu Watkins put on an incredible show on Thursday night. The budding superstar recorded a historic stat line of 35 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, eight blocks, and a steal— the first D-1 player to record 35 points, five assists, and five blocks in 20 years. It was an amazing performance that led USC to an upset win over the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins— and caught the attention of one LeBron James.
James, heading into NBA All-Star weekend where he'll make his 21st consecutive appearance, had a three-word message to describe Watkins's dominance on Thursday: "JUJU TOO TOUGH"
"YES SHE DID!!!" James responded on X to another user who said Watkins went off. "JUJU TOO TOUGH!!"
YES SHE DID!!! JUJU TOO TOUGH!! 🔥🔥🔥💪🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 14, 2025
James has been a fan of Watkins for a while now, having attended a few of her USC games her freshman year in 2023-24. Both are Nike athletes as well, and Watkins spoke last year about how the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is mentoring her as her stardom grows.
He clearly loves watching her on the court, as does the national audience. An absolutely electric outing for Watkins that earned the praise James is dishing out.
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Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.