5X NBA All-Star and HOFer gives massive props to JuJu Watkins on POTY glory

The rivalry between UCLA and USC goes back decades, but when it comes to prestigious achievements like earning the Naismith Player of the Year award, even Bruins legend Reggie Miller had to give his respects.

After the announcement that sophomore USC standout JuJu Watkins was the award recipient, Miller acknowledged the great feat from the Trojan star with a social media post on Wednesday.

Miller shared a post on his Instagram story repping his UCLA pride but still giving respect where respect is due.

"Even this Bruin has to give PROPS! Congrats @jujubballin, earned and deserved," Miller wrote.

Reggie Miller gives credit to JuJu Watkins for earning Player of the Year award

Miller attended UCLA from 1983 to 1987 before being selected with the 11th pick in the 1987 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers. Watkins, however, took the Cheryl Miller route, who played at USC from 1982 to 1986, winning two national championships and earning the Naismith Player of the Year award three times.

Watkins is well on her way to competing for a national title at USC. This season, Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

She also led the Trojans to a 31-4 record and a Big Ten regular-season championship before suffering a devastating ACL injury in the second round of the NCAA Women's Tournament last week. USC was knocked out of March Madness by Paige Bueckers' UConn Huskies in the third round on Monday.

JuJu Watkins is the first USC player to win the award since Lisa Leslie in 1994. Watkins spoke about her POTY triumph in a social media post on X.

“I'm at a loss for words right now. What an incredible honor,” Watkins said. “I want to sincerely thank Naismith for this amazing recognition. This is truly special and I feel so blessed to be selected amongst some of the best in the game. I wanna thank my teammates, coaches and the staff at ‘SC for making this all possible.

“To my family, friends, the fans, your love and support means the world to me. This is just the beginning, and I can't wait for what's ahead. So thank you so much again, and fight on!”

JuJu Watkins has a long road of recovery before returning to the court for USC

The USC star will more than likely be sidelined for most, if not all, of her upcoming junior season. However, a full recovery and returning back to the JuJu Watkins that fans have come to love is not out of the question.

One prime example of an underclassman who won the Naismith Player of the Year award and suffered a torn ACL but has come back to be even better than before is UConn's Paige Bueckers, who won the award as a freshman and was a semifinalist for the honor this year.

JuJu Watkins is in an elite group of players who have won the award as an underclassman, including Cheryl Miller, Breanna Stewart, Clarissa Davis and Maya Moore, who all won the award as sophomores.