USC Trojans scoring powerhouse JuJu Watkins went straight back to scoring gems as she returned to the court on October 25 in an exhibition match against the California Golden Bears at Galen Center. The 21-year-old scored 18 points in 23 minutes, showing little rust after missing the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL. Nike Basketball took immediate notice of Watkins’ incredible performance on her first night back after a long, long hiatus.

B/R W Sports took the opportunity to post Watkins’ highlight reel from the night on Instagram, and Nike, which has a longstanding relationship with the USC superstar, dropped a five-word comment under the now-viral post.

“And she’s just heating up ????.”

Watkins was a menace on both sides of the court, finishing the night with 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists, to go with her two blocks and three steals. But these numbers are nothing compared to her last full season with the Trojans.

In the 2024-25 NCAA season, Watkins led the team in points (23.9 PPG) and assists (3.4 APG), and was second in blocks (2.2 BPG) and steals per game (1.8 SPG). Her elite scoring even put her fourth on the league-wide points leaderboard for the season.

Her campaign that year was nothing short of miraculous, as Watkins swept all the league’s individual accolades. She was named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year and the Big Ten Player of the Year. Her stellar performance that season, shooting 42.6% from the field and 32.5% from three, earned her the Dawn Staley Award and the Naismith College Player of the Year award.

JuJu Watkins’ 2024–25 campaign came to an abrupt end when she suffered a season-ending injury during the Trojans’ second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Mississippi State. Though USC rallied to win that game and advance to the Elite Eight, they played the entire 2025–26 season without their star guard.

Her absence was heavily felt as the team’s subsequent tournament run ended in the second round, finishing the year 18–14 after a blowout 101–61 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. But now, as JuJu Watkins rejoins the roster for the 2026–27 season, the Trojans can look forward to another deep Elite Eight run.

The 2025 AP Player of the Year expressed some anxiety ahead of her return a few days back, as she admitted to reporters, per an Instagram post by JustWomensHoops.

“Man, nervousness, happiness, just very grateful,” said Watkins. “A lot of different emotions, but I think I will be locked in during the game and before the game, but after, I might get a little emotional.”

Her performance against the Golden Bears showed that Watkins delivered on her promise to lock in, reinforcing why she is considered one of the standout players in the NCAAW tournament this season. And the AP Preseason Awards offer further evidence of her standing.

On October 22, 2026, JuJu Watkins was named to the Preseason Associated Press All-American team, her second selection after being picked ahead of the 2024-25 season. According to the USC Trojans website, JuJu Watkins is one of only three players to be given first-team honors in both their freshman and sophomore campaigns, joining Courtney Paris and Maya Moore in the elite club.

Nike’s comment about JuJu Watkins comes after the shoe giant collaborated with the USC star on a pair of LeBron James sneakers back in February 2026. Watkins worked with the NBA legend to create a line of sneakers named The LeBron NXXT Gen by JuJu. She even spoke about what makes these shoes personal to her.

“Working with LeBron to co-create a first is wild. It’s built for my game, my story. Shaping something to share with the next generation of hoopers means everything.”

JuJu Watkins will now look forward to taking the court with these sneakers on as the regular season rolls around. The Trojans are primed to open their regular season against UNLV on November 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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