JuJu Watkins is a proud peer!
The standout USC women’s basketball player spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about her bond with Bronny James, a fellow Trojan who also just wrapped his freshman year on the college’s basketball team.
Not only that, but James — the eldest son of LeBron James and Savannah James’ three kids — declared for the 2024 NBA Draft in April, a decision that has his pal, Watkins, thrilled leading up to the big night.
“Just to see his success… He’s about to get drafted, so I’m really excited for him,” Watkins, 18, tells PEOPLE of James, 19, on Tuesday, June 25 at the Meta AI Super Fan event held in New York City.
Watkins also reflected on their time spent together amid their freshman season, noting that they “were in the same building” at the university. “We were both able to do some things for USC, so I’m grateful for that experience,” she recalls.
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The star wing was, in part, humbly referring to her history-making rookie year, having set an NCAA freshman scoring record with 920 points (breaking Tina Hutchinson’s record of 898 points). She also became the first women’s college basketball freshman to score at least 900 points.
“I just try to have fun out there. I think that’s where I see the most success,” Watkins tells PEOPLE when thinking about her remarkable stats — and still, she says she’s “honestly not satisfied.” She adds, “We still have to win some championships and bring some stuff back home.”
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In contrast to James, who’s projected to be a second-round pick in the NBA Draft this year (which saw Zaccharie Risacher selected No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Hawks), Watkins revealed she’s taking her collegiate career at a different pace when asked if she’s ready to transition to the pros at this stage of her game.
“No. I’m not,” she says. “I’m excited for it, but honestly, I’m just enjoying the college experience.”
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Watkins had her reasons in order as to why she’s not yet ready to make that jump into the WNBA. “I still played like a freshman although didn’t seem that way,” she explains. “There’s so much to take back home and work on.”
The “big three” aspects of her game Watkins says she plans to hone in on? “I would say definitely efficiency, pace, shot selection,” she says of “getting [herself] better for the next year.”
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Meanwhile, the 2024 ESPY Award nominee for breakthrough athlete has a star-studded roster of mentors on her side to assist her in getting there. “I am blessed enough to have a lot of support from pro athletes… I’ve gotten advice from Kevin Durant and LeBron,” she says to name a few.
“I think everybody pretty much has the same thing to say, ‘Just keep going and keep aspiring,’ ” Watkins says, acknowledging how much she appreciates “to get that wisdom” because “they’re all great” basketball players.
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Meanwhile, just as Watkins receives that knowledge from the best of the best players, rising athletes who aspire to be like Watkins can turn to Meta AI to perfect their own game to become the best they can be in the sport.
“It’s honestly crazy,” Watkins says of the Meta AI tool. “Fans being able to have that access to learn more about me and my peers will really help grow the fan base. “It can help women’s basketball and sports in general just by educating fans.”
“People gravitate towards athletes they know on a deeper level,” so Watkins says Meta AI can be used “to build that bridge between the average person, the fan and athlete.”
