EXCLUSIVE: USC women’s basketball teen phenom JuJu Watkins doesn’t turn away any of his sport’s new fans, not even the ones who give him “headaches.”
Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise has injected women’s basketball with waves of new fans, media hype and plenty of arguments between new and old fans. These arguments often concern the league’s, other players’, and media’s treatment of Clark.
And some longtime women’s basketball stars have denounced certain Clark fans and discouraged them from following the sport.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Former WNBA player and current Atlanta Dream executive Renee Montgomery said many of Clark’s fans “may not be a representation of what the WNBA would want in their league” during an episode of her podcast in September. WNBA legend Sue Bird lashed out at this group on her podcast in November, claiming that some of them aren’t even Clark fans, but rather simply “act” like fans while “pushing racist agendas and promoting hate.”
Clark herself said that some of her followers are “not fans” but “trolls” in her exit interview for her rookie season in the WNBA after Connecticut Sun players accused some of her fans of racism during a series playoff game against Clark’s Indiana Fever in September.
But Watkins, 19, who is currently on pace to break Clark’s all-time NCAA scoring record, isn’t taking the newfound attention as a college player for granted.
“The presence of so many new fans in the sport can sometimes be, not necessarily a challenge, but it can give you a bit of a headache. Sometimes not many people know what they are talking about. But it is great for the sport. The fact that people are watching is enough in itself,” Watkins said, when asked by Pak Gazette Digital in an exclusive interview what challenges come with the sport’s newfound attention.
“We’d like it to be positive, but it won’t always be that way, so as long as we keep growing the numbers and the viewership increases, I think that’s all we can ask for.”
Southern California guard JuJu Watkins signs autographs after an NCAA women’s basketball game against Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Watkins said she even wants those fans to cheer her on, too. But even if they end up “hating” her, she will accept the fact that they are paying attention to her.
When asked if she wanted the sport’s controversial new fans to cheer her on, too, Watkins responded, “Oh yeah. I love the fans and I love the haters, too.”
“I think that’s just part of the game. There are many sides to it. So it’s the nature of the game and there will always be negatives and positives.”
One of the most recent controversies surrounding Clark occurred when she was chosen Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year. Some in the WNBA, including Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson during an interview on CNN, criticized the decision to select Clark for the award. Johnson said Clark was chosen because “it’s the way the media interprets race” and they didn’t do enough to recognize other players in the league.
But Watkins believes Time made the right decision.
“I’m all for it,” Watkins said. “I honestly think she deserves it. I don’t think anyone has changed the trajectory of the sport that much, so I honestly think she deserves it all.”
INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever faces DiJonai Carrington #21 of the Connecticut Sun during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 20, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Clark herself sparked backlash from some of her own followers during the interview with Time when she made the statement, “As a white person, there is privilege.”
“It’s great,” Watkins said when asked about Clark’s comments about white privilege. “For her to bring that to light was great.”
Clark herself has acknowledged the outrage her comments sparked and, like Watkins, embraces the positive and negative attention they have generated.
“With the way things are going and where the WNBA is going, you want that attention and you embrace it, and that’s what makes this so much fun,” Clark said of the reaction at the “A Year in TIME” event. ” in New York. on December 11.
Controversy has been a driving force behind the rise in popularity of women’s basketball over the past two years. The rivalry between Clark and Angel Reese became one of the hottest in sports after their meeting in the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship game, when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.
Reese pointed his ring finger at the end of that game, sparking massive controversy.
HOW CAITLIN CLARK FIGHTS THROUGH THE CULTURE WARS ON THE ROAD TO HISTORIC 2024
LSU Lady Tigers’ Angel Reese gestures to Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark during the fourth quarter of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2023 in Dallas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Then, after Clark led her team back to the title game in her senior year in 2024, the women’s championship surpassed the men’s game in television ratings for the first time in history.
Watkins hopes and believes that women’s college sports will continue to surpass men’s in viewership, and she will do her part as one of the top college stars to make that happen.
“I think it’s definitely a trend now,” Watkins said of the women’s college game getting more attention from men.
Watkins pointed to her recent history against UConn star Paige Bueckers as an example of something that can keep attention on her sport with Clark and Reese now in the pros. USC’s game against UConn on December 21 averaged 2.23 million viewers, making it the second-highest-rated game ever broadcast on Fox Sports and the most-watched women’s college basketball game so far of the season.
“For that to not even be a March Madness matchup, and seeing that, I can only imagine what it’s going to be like in March,” Watkins said.
Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins dribbles the ball during an NCAA women’s basketball game against the Cal State Northridge Matadors on Nov. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
As Watkins looks to keep his eyes on his sport and potentially chase Clark’s all-time scoring record, he has the option of even turning to Clark herself as a resource to achieve it.
Watkins said Clark offered her his phone number and that the teen can ask Clark for advice at any time.
Watkins hasn’t accepted Clark’s offer yet, but he’s keeping it in his back pocket for the right time.
