USC star JuJu Watkins shares podium with 4x WNBA champ at sports beach 2024 live show 

USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins has had a busy offseason — from recruiting student-athletes from the transfer portal to being chosen to throw the first pitch of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Los Angeles Angels on June 22.

Most recently, she attended the Sports Beach 2024 live show as part of the Women's Sports House, which is being held in Cannes and aims to foster conversations about the growth of women in various industries.

The popular Watkins posted a picture on her Instagram story of herself on the podium during the event with former four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird and soccer star Megan Rapinoe during a panel.

(Credit: Instagram/@jujubballin)

JuJu Watkins predicted to take over college basketball

Women's college basketball has taken on a life of its own in the past two years, with interest coinciding with bumper viewership numbers, and one of the prospects who is driving interest is USC's JuJu Watkins.

During the Wooden Awards held in Los Angeles, where the Trojans star was a finalist, Indiana Fever rookie and former college basketball star Caitlin Clark handed the baton to Watkins.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb detailed the interactions between the two stars during an interview with "The Orange County Register."

"She (Clark) was like, 'I had this attention for a year and a half, two years,'" said coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "She said to JuJu, 'You're going to have it for the next three.'"

Caitlin Clark reiterated her desire to hand over the baton of the face of women's college basketball to JuJu Watkins during a training session that the Fever held at USC's Galen Center before a game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Clark gave the Trojans coach her contact details and offered her assistance in helping the influential Watkins deal with the attention she will face in her second year of being one of the most recognizable players in college sports.

Gottlieb expressed her delight with the former Iowa Hawkeyes star's gesture.

"I'm certainly going to utilize that as a resource, if she's this willing," Gottlieb said. "I think that's just a neat thing. And I do think it's really cool on her part to be willing to pay it forward, so to speak, and help someone else."

There is perhaps no one better to understand the pressure of being the face of college basketball than Caitlin Clark, and her handing over the baton to JuJu Watkins is a significant moment in the context of women's basketball.