JuJu Watkins Mom's Stance on Secret Behind USC Star's Iconic Bun Turns Heads

USC star JuJu Watkins' mom had a great response when asked her secret to creating JuJu's bun hairstyle.
Feb 2, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) looks on during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Feb 2, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) looks on during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

While USC Trojans superstar sophomore JuJu Watkins' quick ascent to becoming one of the sport's brightest young stars is owed to her success on the court, one aspect of her appearance has certainly helped bring her to new heights, both literally and figuratively.

We're talking about the iconic bun on the top of Watkins' head, which she has in during every game and has become notorious for during her two seasons spent in college basketball.

This bun made headlines earlier this month when Watkins said, "Well, I don't really wear hats, because I got the bun," when asked about her lack of Big Ten title gear after her team beat the UCLA Bruins to secure the Big Ten Conference regular season championship.

Watkins' bun was on full display during her team's March 7 game against Indiana, which the Trojans won 84-79.

Before the game (in which Watkins scored 31 points on 10 of 19 shooting while adding 10 rebounds), NBC Sports' On Her Turf caught up with Watkins' mother, Sari, who does her daughter's bun before every game. Among the questions they asked her was, "What's the secret behind the bun?"

"The secret behind the bun is don't tell the secret behind the bun," she answered with a laugh.

Just like how a master chef doesn't divulge the secret recipe behind their most iconic meal, one must respect JuJu's mother for not wanting to share this highly classified hair information.

What's for sure is that Watkins' bun will continue to draw attention as her basketball career progresses.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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