Caitlin Clark sends heartfelt message to JuJu Watkins amid devastating season-ending injury

The college basketball world is distraught after USC’s JuJu Watkins saw her season come to an end on Monday, due to a torn ACL. Support is pouring out from all avenues, including former Iowa star turned Indiana Fever leader Caitlin Clark.

“Sending all my thoughts and prayers to JuJu,” Clark posted on X. “Kid will come back stronger than ever [red-heart emoji].”

That’s a classy move from Clark, as Watkins deals with an unimaginable disappointment. The Trojans were able to secure a 96-59 win over Mississippi State in the Round of 32 of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, but the injury to their star put a major damper on their championship dreams for 2025.

Running a fastbreak midway through the first quarter, Watkins went down heading toward their basket. She then laid on the court holding her right knee with an awful reaction to it in real time that suggested how serious it really was.

After being tended to by team personnel, Watkins was then carried off by two people from the court of the Galen Center. Obviously, she did not return to the game for ‘SC, as she was taken to a hospital for an MRI.

It’s shocking news across the sport of women’s college basketball. It’s devastating for Watkins, arguably the best player in the game, as well as for one of the No. 1 seeds in the bracket with USC and the city of Los Angeles with what it does to their hopes of winning the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

It’s just as jarring for the rest of the game as well, with many sending love her way from all over. Clark was far from the only one, with names like LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and Angel Reese chiming in.

Watkins exited the game with three points, all from free throws, with two assists, a rebound, and a turnover. That’s after Watkins, the favorite to win the Wooden Award, averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks as a sophomore this season at USC.

All told, this an injury that’ll impact everything in the sport, namely Watkins and the Trojans, going even into next season as she fully rehabs from the tear. The immediate effect, though, is massive too with one of the contenders losing one of the very best players that the game has to offer.

— On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this article.