JuJu Watkins honors her mom with wholesome Mother’s Day message: "My GOAT"

Along with several other college basketball players, USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins honored her mother on Mother's Day. Earlier on Sunday, the incoming junior greeted her mother, Sari, with a wholesome message via her Instagram story.

Watkins included a candid photo of her and her mother, presumably spending time together by organizing packages. The Los Angeles, California native added:

"Happy mother's day to my GOAT."

(image credits: @jujubballin on Instagram)

Sari Watkins is married to Robert Neal-Watkins and together, they are parents to JuJu and her siblings, Mali, Dami and Mar. The mother of four has always been present at USC games to support her daughter.

In her two years with coach Lindsay Gottlieb's Trojans, JuJu Watkins has become one of the premier faces of the sport with her unmatched scoring at all three levels and all-around defense. She has averaged standout numbers of 25.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest.

Juju Watkins shares her "why" for playing basketball, admits her family plays a major role

On April 5, JuJu Watkins was interviewed on ESPN's College GameDay by Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike after she was named the 2025 John R. Wooden Women's Player of the Year. When she was asked about her "why" with playing basketball at a high level, she said:

"So many why's. I think biggest thing is just my family, my supporters. I think they definitely drive me on the floor. My teammates, my coaches, there's so many things that go into it so, I'm just grateful that I'm able to play the game."

Watkins also provided an update regarding her ACL injury that sidelined her for the rest of the NCAA national tournament from the second round and beyond. The spitfire scorer admitted that this is the first time she has dealt with such a setback in her young career.

But, with the motivation given by her teammates, Watkins is locking in her recovery to potentially return as soon as next season.

About the author

Koby del Rosario is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda who took up BS in Advertising Management at De La Salle University, one of the big "four" universities in the Philippines. Koby has over four years of experience with Complex PH, M2.0 Communications, The LaSallian, Daily Tribune, and Time Attack Manila.

Koby's favorite college team would have to be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Apart from being MJ's alma mater, Koby has always been fond of the Jordan silhouettes that release in the school's colors (being a sneakerhead himself).

His past favorite college players would have to be Russell Westbrook (UCLA) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). With Russ, his 1-2 punch with Kevin Love during their UCLA days was something Koby marveled at as Russ became his favorite player to watch post-Kobe.

Besides playing basketball, Koby enjoys nightlife, collecting sneakers, and playing video games. Apart from hosting parties and taking pictures for parties/bars/clubs, Koby is learning to DJ as a hobby with all sorts of house and hip-hop as the main genres.

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Edited by Ruth John S