COLLEGE superstar JuJu Watkins has been handed another devastating setback after tearing her ACL.

Watkins revealed her worrying timeline for return on social media this week.

A woman in a gold basketball uniform lies on the court, grimacing in pain, as other players in similar uniforms attend to her.
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Juju Watkins tore her ACL during March Madness, ending her 2024/25 seasonCredit: Splash

JuJu Watkins of the USC Trojans rebounds against the UNC Greensboro Spartans.
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Watkins has also revealed she will miss the rest of this season tooCredit: Getty
The 20-year-old tore her ACL in the second round of March Madness earlier this year for the USC Trojans.

She took to Instagram to update her fans on her progress, unfortunately revealing that she would be out for the season.

She wrote, “These last few months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest, and reflection.

“Recovering from this injury hasn’t been easy, and I want to say thank you.

“Your love, support, and kind words have truly lifted me up during one of the most challenging times in my life.

“Because you’ve been with me every step of the way, I wanted you to hear it from me directly.

“Following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love.”

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb also released a statement about the injury.

This reads, “JuJu’s health and well-being are our top priority, and we fully support her decision to focus on recovery this season.

“While we will certainly miss her impact on the court, she continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate.

“The strength and maturity she has shown through this process is a reflection of who she is, and we know the Trojan Family will continue to rally behind her.

“We look forward to the day she returns to competition stronger than ever.”

USC star JuJu Watkins injured in March Madness win | AP News

Despite being just a sophomore, she’s already widely considered to be a top WNBA prospect.

Watkins dominated in her second year of college basketball, averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals.

This put her fourth in the season’s points per game chart.

She also earned multiple player of the year awards and a second straight first-team All-American nod.

The guard tied as the fourth fastest player to reach 1000 career points in Division I history.

She took just 38 games to get there.

In 2024, she led USC to the 2024 Pac-12 tournament championship.

And, despite her injury, they won the 2025 Big Ten regular-season title.