Women's Fastbreak On SI

JuJu Watkins Turns Caretaker For Falling Young Fan After USC Win

USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins provided a lasting memory for one young autograph seeker.
Grant Young|
Dec 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) celebrates with head coach Lindsay Gottlieb in the fourth quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Galen Center. USC defeated Fresno State 89-40. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) celebrates with head coach Lindsay Gottlieb in the fourth quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Galen Center. USC defeated Fresno State 89-40. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans women's basketball team improved to 9-1 in the 2024-25 season after a dominant 89-40 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Tuesday.

There wasn't much surprising that occurred during the game, as USC star JuJu Watkins finished the contest with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while teammate Kiki Ariafen added 24 points and 12 rebounds.

However, something surprising did occur after the game ended, which saw Watkins in the right place at the right time.

Watkins hung around for a while after the game ended in order to sign autographs for young fans. At one point, a young girl supposedly fell out of her mother's arms while Watkins was standing in front of them.

It's unclear at this point what exactly happened next, and how much Watkins actually caught and/or saved the young fan from falling and getting hurt. But what's for sure is that soon after whatever, the fan (who was unharmed) was being coddled by Watkins.

OC Register reporter Luca Evans posted a video of Watkins holding the fan on X with the caption, "Add childcare to the list of JuJu Watkins’ many talents.

"Just before this video, a kid fell from her seat after USC’s win tonight trying to get an autograph. Watkins picked her back up and gave her a long hug".

While there doesn't appear to be a video of what happened before this wholesome moment, this fan (and her mother) are surely thankful that Watkins was around. And now that young fan has a great story to tell when she's older.

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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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