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"She does it with grace": Gilbert Arenas' ex Laura Govan applauds JuJu Watkins’ historic February run with glowing remarks
JuJu Watkins is still at least two years away from the WNBA but is already having a Caitlin Clark-esque impact on the game, as she continues her trajectory towards stardom for the USC Trojans. In just February alone, the teenager has already been featured on Nike's Super Bowl commercial and the cover of Essence, signaling her arrival to the major leagues of stardom.
While not even a professional yet, JuJu Watkins is already the talk of the town and has been deemed WNBA-ready despite not even turning 20. The LA native has gathered the attention of many and gained many shoutouts for her talent, with Laura Govan looking like the latest member on the JuJu bandwagon.
Govan, once engaged to NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, has been close to the sport by association and looks set to be an NBA mom with her son Alijah Arenas being earmarked to carry the Arenas name to the NBA yet again.
She was also featured on "Basketball Wives LA" and boasts an Instagram following of over a million. She used her platform to declare her awe for JuJu Watkins' talent on her Instagram story on Wednesday.
"And she does it with grace!" reacted Govan as she shared a post which listed down the 19-year old JuJu's remarkable feats from the month of February.
Watkins had been earmarked for success from a young age, having been the MVP of Team USA at the 2022 FIBA u17 World Cup and the 2021 FIBA u16 Americas Championship. But 2025 might just be the year where she establishes herself as a household name and Govan's seal of her "grace" shall serve to bring more eyes toward Watkins' burgeoning talent.
JuJu Watkins also had WNBA stars reacting to her feature on the cover of Essence
Govan is merely one of the many high-profile fans for JuJu at this stage of her career, with the likes of women's basketball legend Lisa Leslie, TV star Brittany Hampton, Seattle Storm's Lexie Brown and WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike all showing their love to the teenager for her feature on Essence magazine's Girls United platform.
Having established WNBA players and legends of the game talking you up as a teenager is only bound to add to the hype machine surrounding the Trojans star. Watkins barely skipped a beat in her transition from high school basketball to the collegiate level.
After Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins seems to be the latest in a generation of league-altering talent set to turn the fortunes of the WNBA around. The future of women's basketball certainly looks to be in safe hands.
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