Juju steals the show again — this time off the court

Last week, she scored 51 points in a game. This week, she’s on the cover of basketball’s most prestigious magazine.

On Monday morning, Slam Magazine announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “the freshman everyone is talking about,” Juju Watkins, is a cover athlete for Slam 248.

The announcement comes after Watkins’s outstanding performance against #4 Stanford on Friday, where she had 51 of the 67 points that led USC to a victory.

The rest of the USC women’s basketball team and coaches continue to shower Watkins with lots of love and respect.

“One day I came into the office and Ju was there and I asked what she did on her off-day the day before,” said Lindsay Gottlieb, head coach of the USC women’s basketball team, via X. “‘Oh I had a photo shoot,’ she said very humbly. It was the @SLAMonline cover shoot. Ju being Ju. This is [fire] on so many levels.”

Slam magazine covers Watkins’s backstory and how she rose to fame. From playing at Sierra Canyon to committing to USC, Watkins has always had the limelight on her since day one.

“I’ve always dreamt of playing for a college that I love and being able to have so much pride in where I go to college,” Watkins said via Slamonline.com.

Watkins represents a new era of women’s basketball. “I think women’s basketball is constantly evolving, so just to be a part of that and be in that mix is an honor.”