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Being the No.1 ranked high school player in the country comes with its own prestige and pressure, but Juju Watkins has always credited her parents for keeping her grounded.
17-year-old Watkins is the daughter of Sari and Robert Watkins, who also happen to be friends with LeBron and Savannah James.
Sari Watkins, Juju's mother, hasn't been bothered by her daughter's rise to fame, explaining how they dealt with it at first:
“When people started to come up to her, we didn’t want to really focus on that because we were looking at it from the perspective on improving her game and making sure she was a good person. The other stuff wasn’t on our minds.”
So, who are Robert and Sari Watkins?
Juju Watkins' roots
Juju Watkins is the youngest daughter of Robert and Sari Watkins. She was born on July 15, 2005, and has three older siblings.
Although Sari and Robert Watkins also have athletic college backgrounds, they did not go professional.
Watkins' parents had a plan for her, and it didn't involve basketball. They wanted her to become a professional tennis player like the Williams sisters, but she refused and insisted on playing basketball. A decision her parents then wholeheartedly supported.
One of the most interesting aspects of Juju Watkins's family is that she grew up playing in a gym named after her grandfather, Ted Watkins Sr.
It was named after him when he formed the Watts Labor Community Action Committee after the Watts Riots in 1965. This committee provided jobs and social amenities to a community that had been ravaged by the riots.
Juju Watkins has often recalled how she had to beg her ex-football-playing father to coach her into becoming a better player. Her father, Robert, then took it upon himself to teach his daughter basketball in the backyard. He recalls:
“When we started in the backyard, it was always about the foundation and the repetition. The one great thing about Juju was whatever we worked on in the backyard, she would implement immediately in the game. She wasn’t afraid of taking risks.” - Robert Watkins
Watkins is the reigning Gatorade National Girl's Basketball Player of the Year, and it all stems from her elite end product. First as a Windward School player, then her two years at Sierra Canyon, where she transferred to.
Juju Watkins, Bryce and Bronny James all attended Sierra Canyon High School during the same period before Juju and Bronny committed to attending the University of Southern California (USC) to play for the USC Trojans.
