USC Star Juju Watkins Says She Welcomes All of Caitlin Clark’s Fans

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USC sophomore JuJu Watkins offered a uniquely measured response to the very energetic fan base Caitlin Clark brings to the game of basketball.

We say unique because, unlike other women’s basketball players who constantly try to tear down Clark fans, she seems to embrace them, whether they’re cheering for her or against her.

While she noted that some fans can give players “headaches,” which is undoubtedly true, her view shows that any attention or eyeballs on the sport are good.

“So many new fans being in the sport sometimes can be, not necessarily challenging, but can just kind of give you a headache a bit. Not a lot of people know what they’re talking about sometimes. But it’s great for the sport,” Watkins said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“The fact that people are watching is enough in itself.”

JuJu Watkins Wise Beyond Her Years

JuJu Watkins, who just surpassed a scoring milestone in the college game previously held by Clark, seems wise beyond her years with the remarks on fans.

She quickly dismissed the notion that all fans have to be positive all the time just because it’s nice.

“We would like it to be positive, but it’s not always going to be like that, so as long as we continue to raise the numbers and viewership goes up, I think that’s all we can ask for,” she said.

Watkins added she “love(s) supporters, and I also love haters.”

In other words, it’d be nice to play in front of or listen to fans on social media, all singing Kumbaya, but that’s not reality. This is a marked departure from WNBA stars who immediately equate negative attention from Clark fans to racism.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, for example, has repeatedly chastised the Indiana Fever star’s fans.

“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it,” Reese said.

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who, prior to the start of Clark’s rookie season, flat-out said the attention being given to the Iowa girl by fans was due to her being white.

“It doesn’t matter what we all do as black women; we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug,” Wilson said. “That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”

Clark Deserves Time Athlete Of The Year

Incidentally, that quote from Wilson was mentioned in the Time Magazine writeup when they awarded Clark the Athlete of the Year.

JuJu Watkins, on the other hand, said she couldn’t agree more with the selection.

“I’m all for it,” Watkins told Fox. “I honestly think she deserves it. I don’t think anyone has changed the trajectory of the sport so much, so I honestly think she deserves every bit of it.”

She went on to address perhaps the most controversial aspect of the Athlete of the Year award – Clark’s assertion that she is the beneficiary of “white privilege.”

“It’s super dope,” Watkins said. “For her to kind of bring that to light was cool.”

Watkins and Clark share some similarities. They’re both rising stars – Clark in the WNBA and Watkins just in her second year with the Trojans. They’re both prolific scorers where the sky is the limit. They both have the eyes of the basketball world focused on them.

Watkins, incidentally, just scored her 1,000th career point in 38 games, surpassing the pace at which Caitlin achieved the same mark. Watkins’ scoring prowess has drawn comparisons to Clark, who needed two more games to achieve the feat. And what a historic player to be compared with.

Clark would later become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer in men’s and women’s basketball, the first overall draft pick in 2024, and the WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Perhaps above and beyond that, she has brought attention to the game. JuJu Watkins no doubt will do the same when she enters the WNBA.