What was a routine win over the second round opponents turned out be a nightmare for USC! Despite a 96-59 win, JuJu Watkins suffered a knee injury early in the first quarter. At that time, the support staff helped her by carrying her to the locker room. After the win, the injury status was revealed, which was season-ending for the 19-year-old. The entire basketball community, from Magic Johnson to Caitlin Clark, sent their support. Recently, even Kevin Garnett shared support, but not without suffering a botch of his own.
“Heart goes out to JUJU N HER FAMILY.” The former champion added motivating words on his Instagram story. “Wishing n Hoping a safe Return!! TAKE YOU TIME JU N DO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOURSELF N YPUR FAMILY…FUXX erthing else You got this Respect .” Nothing seems wrong so far, right? The messaging and emotion from KG weren’t wrong. But thanks to a common social media slip, Watkins won’t explicitly see the story mentioned. As KG tagged the wrong person again!
The person he tagged instead of JuJu Watkins was NFL star JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the latter will definitely get a notification about story mention from the 2004 MVP. The current Chiefs WR has things in common with the rising star of basketball. Both hail from south California and the 28-year-old also chose USC as his college program. However, the mistake from Kevin Garnett was not because of these common factors, but straight up because athletes have the same first name. As stated earlier, it is a common mistake and the one that The Big Ticket suffered from previously as well.
“Boyyy the joker was cooking tonight.. 100 was on his Wlit shiiiizzzz…30/20/20 is crazy…Salute to Nikola.. did that sir…Respect..” Garnett wrote, hyping up the Denver Nuggets’ superstar. Because Jokic became the first player in NBA history to have 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 20+ assists in a single game. He had 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 points against the Suns in a thrilling 149-141 win. Once again, nothing wrong with the message, but he tagged the wrong person!
Instead of the 3x MVP, Kevin Garnett tagged Nikola Jovic, the Miami Heat’s young forward. After a few hours, the Celtics legend acknowledged the mistake and added to Instagram: “My bad.. I tag the wrong Jokic.. my lame a–… yall knew what I meant… Smh My Bad dog.” So, we know KG’s wish for Watkins was real and just a case of a mis-click in selecting her profile. Similarly, other stars of the game too chimed in for the USC star, who sent prayers for the star guard.
Kevin Garnett was not alone, as Catilin Clark and Magic Johnson joined others in making a heartfelt support
When JuJu Watkins hit the ground, clutching her knee, the entire Galen Center held its breath. In fact, they even booed the Mississippi State Bulldogs player for the remaining game. The team moved to a second straight Sweet 16 but will be without their star guard for a considerable amount of time. One of the most recognized recent college basketball star and current WNBA ROTY, Caitlin Clark, stated well-wishes for the USC star.
NCAA, College League, USA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round USC-Mississippi State Mar 24, 2025 Los Angeles, California, USA USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins 12 injures her knee in the first quarter of an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. , EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRobertxHanashirox 20250324_neb_wr6_0295
“Sending all my thoughts and prayers to JuJu. Kid will come back stronger than ever.” The Indiana Fever player was not alone. Her Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston, and long-time college rival, Angel Reese, also shared support. Before tearing her ACL, Watkins was averaging nearly 24, 7, and 3 per game, putting her in the upper echelon of collegiate hoopers. That’s why Magic Johnson felt “devastated” after hearing the news.
The Lakers legend added on X: “Devastated to hear the news that Juju Watkins tore her ACL last night. I’m praying for a speedy recovery, but I know Juju is a competitor and will be back stronger and better!” The Trojans would hope to win the championship and dedicate it to their star guard but her contributions will be severely missed. Recognizing her greatness, she earned the Big Ten Player of the Year award!
Not only that, but she was one of the front-runners for NPOY honors this year, competing with the likes of Hannah Hidalgo and Paige Bueckers. Since Watkins continued to perform for her team, greats like Kevin Garnett and Magic Johnson wished her a speedy recovery.
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