Damian Lillard's ex Kay'la Lillard drops 1-word reaction as Juju Watkins suffers heartbreaking injury

USC star Juju Watkins was carried off the floor on Monday against Mississippi State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Watkins, who is expected to be one of the top picks in a future WNBA draft, fell to the floor after driving in the lane. A few hours later, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that she had a torn ACL.

One of those who expressed concerns about Watkins’ heartbreaking injury was Damian Lillard’s ex-wife Kay’la Lillard. She commented on ESPN’s breaking news of Watkins’ torn ACL with a one-word reaction.

“Damn,” Lillard wrote before adding two praying emojis.

Kay'la Lillard's IG comment

Kay’la Lillard has kept herself immersed in basketball despite separating from the current Milwaukee Bucks star. Kay’la and Damian Lillard got divorced in Oct. 2023, just a week after the nine-time NBA All-Star was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Bucks.

In only her sophomore year in college, Watkins averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks this season. She led the team to the top spot in the NCAA tournament, which solidified her case as one of the biggest stars in women’s basketball.

She is expected to miss the rest of the tournament and will return next season, depending on how long her recovery time is. Watkins is expected to enter the WNBA draft in 2027.

Damian Lillard once compared Juju Watkins to NCAA legend

Juju Watkins is considered to be one of the best scorers the NCAA tournament has ever seen since entering college last year. With her offensive skillset, she drew comparisons to Syracuse legend and ex-NBA scorer Carmelo Anthony from fellow star Damian Lillard.

In a post on X during the 2024 NCAA tournament, Lillard likened Watkins’ game to Anthony, who led Syracuse to the national championship in 2003.

“Juju like Melo at Syracuse fr… you wana win give her the ball man,” Lillard said.

Anthony, who finished his career in the top 10 all-time scoring list in the NBA, played just one season in college where he averaged 22.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game with Syracuse. Anthony played 19 seasons in the NBA, representing the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, OKC Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and LA Lakers.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Watkins can only enter the WNBA when she turns 22 in 2027. Last year, she averaged an impressive 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, catapulting her as one of the best scorers in women’s college basketball.

Due to the WNBA’s eligibility rules, Watkins could see her career unfold similarly to Lillard's, who played four seasons in college before being drafted into the NBA in 2012.