Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

USC Trojans' JuJu Watkins Documentary Series Renewed For Second Season

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Cory Pappas | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 11:03 AM ET

USC Trojans superstar guard JuJu Watkins will have a second season for her documentary series On the Rise: JuJu Watkins. The first season was released in 2024 exclusively on Peacock, giving a behind the scenes look at Watkins with the Trojans. LeBron James, Rich Paul, and Watkins are just a few of the executive producers of the series.

Watkins rose to fame during the 2023-2024 season with the USC Trojans as a freshman phenom. She was second in all of college basketball in points per game, averaging 27.1. The only player ahead of her was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft and WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark with 31.6 points per game.

Watkins was having another terrific season as a sophomore in the 2024-2025 season, but unfortunately suffered a devastating season ending torn ACL in the NCAA tournament.

USC Trojans Fall Short After Watkins Injury

It is still an unknown when Watkins will return to the court for the USC Trojans. In the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament this past March, Watkins suffered a torn right ACL, ending her season. She won the Wooden Award for being the best player in women’s college basketball and led her Trojans to a Big Ten regular season title and No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

USC earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the second straight season, but this time looked even more poised to make a Final Four run after falling just short in 2024 when they lost in the Elite Eight to Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies.

Who knows how far the Trojans would have gone in 2025 if Watkins didn’t get injured. USC still managed to make it back to the Elite Eight without Watkins, but they once again ran into Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies. USC was no match for the Huskies without Watkins. UConn cruised through the entire tournament, winning the 2025 National Championship over the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 82-59.

Can JuJu Watkins Bounce Back From Injury?

The big question for USC is now how soon they can expect Watkins to be ready to play again. One thing for sure is that she will not be ready to go when the season tips off in November. A return at all next season would be considered a success, but USC shouldn’t want Watkins to rush her recovery efforts. With the injury happening so late in the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to not see her at all next season.

The 19-year-old Watkins has never suffered an injury like this before, and it's practically impossible to correctly estimate her return at this time.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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