In the world of NCAA basketball, JuJu Watkins has quickly risen to prominence, drawing comparisons to legendary players. Among those lauding her accomplishments are four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird and her partner, soccer star Megan Rapinoe. They recently made headlines by comparing Watkins to NBA icon Wilt Chamberlain, highlighting her exceptional talent and potential.
During her freshman season with the USC Trojans, the 19-year-old Watkins has set numerous records and gained national recognition for her stellar performances. This includes breaking the NCAA Division I freshman scoring record.
Bird and Rapinoe, who hosted Watkins on their quirky chat show at the Sports Beach in Cannes, made the bold comparison to Chamberlain while introducing her.
“She’s an All-American National Freshman of the Year, the highest-scoring freshman in D1 history with 920 points.
She had 14 games with 30-plus points in her freshman year, including a 51-point game against Stanford, the most points scored by any player in the nation last season. My favorite part is she got to hold up that white piece of paper with 51 on it, much like Wilt Chamberlain did with his 100,” Bird remarked on their show, *A Touch More*.
Chamberlain’s 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in March 1962 remains an iconic moment in basketball history.
After that game, Chamberlain famously held up a white piece of paper with “100” written on it, a gesture that has become legendary. Bird expressed her admiration for Watkins’s similar moment, lamenting that she never had a chance to celebrate her career-high in such a manner.
Watkins’s achievements have not gone unnoticed. In her debut game for USC, she scored 32 points, breaking Lisa Leslie’s record for the highest score in a freshman debut for the Trojans. In November, she tied Cheryl Miller’s record for having three consecutive games with 30 points or more.
By the end of the season, Watkins had amassed 920 points, breaking Tina Hutchinson’s record for the most points scored by an NCAA D1 freshman.
Watkins has also received praise from fellow basketball star Caitlin Clark. According to her head coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, Clark mentioned that Watkins would attract significant attention once Clark graduated, a prediction that seems to be coming true.
These high-profile comparisons and accolades appear to be motivating Watkins to strive for greatness. As the 2024-25 NCAA season approaches, it will be interesting to see how she continues to handle the praise and pressure on the court.
