“Best player since Maya Moore”: Fans go gaga as JuJu Watkins recieves praise from LeBron James, Candace Parker and more
JuJu Watkins garnered national attention in her freshman season by breaking the all-time NCAA scoring record for a first-year player. Last week, the USC Trojans star scored her 1,000th career point, making her the fourth-quickest player in college basketball history to clinch the feat.
With that, an Instagram post from ESPNW on Thursday captured the praises the young athlete received from players like LeBron James, Candace Parker, DeMar DeRozan and other notable figures in the industry.
Fans also followed with similar sentiments in the comment section:
"She ball just like Kobe 🔥," a fan wrote.
"Best player since Maya Moore," another fan commented.
"One of two women ballers I’ve seen who plays like a man, but with a feminine touch. The other one is Maya," another fan wrote.
A few fans also mentioned other qualities of JuJu Watkins that make her stand out from her competition:
"She’s a good person to start and her community bond is equally valuable, she’s a people’s star ❤️
"And she’s such a likable young lady. Like to be that good on the court and just be a nice person, I’m a UCLA fan and I find myself rooting for her and Kiki.
"W has such a great future with all the young talent coming into the league.
JuJu Watkins wants to build on her freshman year
After reaching the 1000-point milestone, JuJu Watkins now wants to build on the quick offensive start in her college career in the coming years.
"I'm not taking anything for granted. Very blessed to be in this position. This is great, something to build off and continue to work on," Watkins said, per ESPN.
Watkins' feat came on a jumper in the second half of USC's 81-50 win against the Santa Clara Broncos on Nov. 15. It was her 38th D1 game.
With this pace, Watkins is on her way to breaking Caitlin Clark's record for most points in college basketball history (men's and women's). Clark touched the 1,000-point mark in her 40th D1 game with a 44-point outburst against the Evansville Purple Ace on Jan. 2, 2022.
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