USC basketball star Juju Watkins gets Sierra Canyon jersey retired

Watkins, who was a McDonald's All-American, had her jersey retirement ceremony televised on ESPN2 Friday night.

Former Sierra Canyon standout, and current USC women's basketball star, Juju Watkins had her #12 jersey retired on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at halftime of a boys basketball game on ESPN2. / Tarek Fattal

Juju Watkins was made for primetime television, so it's no surprised that her Sierra Canyon jersey retirement ceremony as on ESPN's airwaves Friday night.

At halftime of the Mission League boys basketball showdown between Sierra Canyon and Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks on ESPN2, Watkins had her #12 jersey retired for the remarkable career she had as a Trailblazer.

Watkins is the only athlete to have their jersey retired at Sierra Canyon.

Watkins was a national phenomenon in high school on the court. She was the Gatorade National Player of the Year, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, the Naismith National Player of the Year and was a multiple-time CIF Player of the Year.

But, maybe, it's what she was doing off the court that made her so special, spearheading women's basketball as a teen with NIL deals, Nike commercials and her all-famous hair bun that made so many little girls in America want to play like Juju.

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) watches a free throw Saturday, March 8, 2025, in a semifinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

JUJU WAS A STANDOUT IN HIGH SCHOOL

Watkins made her name known when she led Windward to the CIF Southern Section Open Division final as a freshman. The Wildcats lost to Mater Dei, but everyone in the arena at the Long Beach State Pyramid knew who the best player on the floor was.

As a freshman she averaged 21 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. As a sophomore she was pouring in 27 points per game at Windward before transferring to Sierra Canyon for her final two seasons where her superstardom took a huge leap. Her junior year, she tallied 25 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game en route to a CIF State Open Division title.

As a senior, she led Sierra Canyon to a 31-1 record while averaging 27.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The Trailblazers went on to win the CIF Southern Section Open Division title. She set a career-high 60 points in a game that senior season against Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks on Senior Night on Jan. 31, 2023.

Sierra Canyon was named girls basketball national champions by ESPN in 2023.

ALL-AMERICAN AT USC

Watkins has become one of USC women’s basketball’s most decorated players in program history.

She exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2023-24, setting USC and national records, including 920 points, 14 30-point games, and a program-record 51-point performance, becoming the highest-scoring freshman in NCAA history.

Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball against Michigan State Spartans guard Jaddan Simmons (1) in the first half at Galen Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As a sophomore, she averaged 23.9 points per game and became USC’s fastest player to reach 1,000 career points.

Her accolades include the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, AP National Player of the Year, and consensus All-American honors, while helping lead USC to a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.

After suffering a torn ACL in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Watkins opted to redshirt the 2025-26 season while continuing her recovery, already cemented as one of the elite players in college basketball.

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