"She trying to pipe me up": LSU's Flau'jae Johnson shows gratitude as USC's JuJu Watkins reveals her favorite moment from the 2024 ESPY Awards
Flau'jae Johnson and JuJu Watkins are two of the biggest stars in present-day college basketball. Their popularity ranks them in the top seven NIL valuations in women's basketball (as per On3). Watkins' game brings a lot of eye due to her record-breaking freshman year with USC while Johnson's fans hail from the hoops and music world.
From their various summer stints, the two shared the same venue on July 11 for the ESPYs. So, when the Freshman of the Year tipped her hat to Flau'jae Johnson for her performance at the Dolby Theatre, the LSU star couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
"She trying to pipe me up, aaah!" Johnson said on the Best of Both World podcast.
"Flau'jae performance a must-see," Watkins said. "You killed that performance. I was literally sitting there, I never seen you live. I was sitting there, I'm like 'there's no way this girl is like,' your stage presence is crazy bro," she added. (4:44)
Flau'jae Johnson took the stage in Los Angeles nearly two weeks after releasing her debut album “Best of Both Worlds”. At the time, Johnson was nearing a million streams on songs like “Big 4,” “AMF” and more on Spotify.
Like a true showman, Johnson changed her attire to perform the song "Best of Both Worlds," taking up the stage and even measuring the orchestra. Moreover, Flau'jae Johnson also dapped up Lil Wayne and Juju Watkins during her performance.
JuJu Watkins also shimmered at the ESPYs
The night in the staple venue of the prestigious Academy Awards brought in recognition for Juju Watkins as well.
While Flau’jae Johnson churned out another solid stint for her musical career, Watkins was recognized as the ‘Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.’ She was the first athlete to be called on the stage for the Excellence in Sports Performance award.
Watkins broke the all-time college basketball record for scoring as a freshman, with 920 points. She averaged 27.1 points per game, surpassing college stints of NBA icons like Kevin Durant (25.8 ppg), Carmelo Anthony (22.2 ppg), Zion Williamson (22.6 ppg) and others.
As she broke several USC program and Pac-12 conference records, she accumulated more than 17 weekly awards throughout the season and alongside several annual awards.