“Come back stronger” - Caitlin Clark sends heartfelt message to JuJu Watkins after season-ending ACL injury

In Monday's USC-Mississippi State game, JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear after a collision with defender Chandler Prater. Given the timing of the injury, Watkins will miss the remainder of the season and set her sights on recovering this summer before the 2025-26 season.

In the wake of the injury, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark quickly took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to wish Watkins well. Additionally, Clark also predicted that despite the setback, when the Trojans star does return to the court, she will come back stronger:

On Tuesday morning, she wrote:

"Sending all my thoughts and prayers to JuJu. Kid will come back stronger than ever."

The injury occurred just moments into the game, with JuJu Watkins logging just five minutes of action before being carried off the court. Despite that, USC picked up a 96-59 win over No. 9 ranked Mississippi St, advancing to the Sweet 16 round, where they will collide with Kansas St.

Of course, without their star, the team faces an uphill battle to win the March Madness tournament.

This season, JuJu Watkins's 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists powered USC Trojans to a 30-3 record, which saw them enter the March Madness Tournament in first place in the Big Ten.

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"I'm a big fan of hers," - Looking back at the time JuJu Watkins spoke about being a fan of Caitlin Clark's despite USC losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes

JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans faced the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 2 for Caitlin Clark's jersey retirement game.

Although Watkins and USC entered the game as the favorites, given their dominance this season, the Hawkeyes got a big 76-69 win with the Indiana Fever star in attendance.

Despite the tough loss, however, JuJu Watkins had nothing but positive things to say after the game, praising Clark and the Hawkeyes. Sports Illustrated quoted her as saying:

“The energy from everybody, it was electrifying. A testament to what Caitlin has done and the direction that the sport is heading in. I’m super grateful to have a part in it. ... I’m a big fan of her’s, so to see her get her flowers, it’s amazing."

Given the WNBA's eligibility requirements, after Watkins rehabs her ACL tear this summer, she will return to the NCAA level for her third year of college, where she'll look to capture an NCAA title with USC once more.

Then, following the 2026-27 season, her fourth year of college, JuJu Watkins will be eligible to declare for the WNBA Draft.