USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins celebrated her 20th birthday on Tuesday, July 15. Several notable figures from the basketball world greeted her on her special day. It included four-time NBA champion and current LA Lakers forward LeBron James’ primary manager and close friend, Rich Paul, who joined in on the celebrations via social media.
Paul shared a photo of himself and Watkins on his Instagram story along with a two-word greeting for the budding women’s basketball superstar. LeBron has been playing in Los Angeles since 2018. Given that Watkins is a native of the city and has played for USC in the last two seasons, there may have been several encounters between Paul and Watkins, given their proximity of work.
“Happy birthday @jujubballin,” Rich Paul captioned his Instagram story.
JuJu Watkins is currently recovering from an ACL injury she suffered against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament in March. USC won against Mississippi State, 96-59, even though the sophomore left in the first period. Watkins and the rest of coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad were one of the favorites to win this year’s national title, but their chances diminished due to Watkins’ injury.
The Trojans ended up reaching the Elite Eight of March Madness, losing to the eventual national champions, the UConn Huskies, by 14 points, 78-64, in what could’ve been a rematch between Watkins and UConn superstar Paige Bueckers from their 2024 NCAA tournament matchup.
When LeBron James Said JuJu Watkins Is Already a Star
In November of 2024, ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou released an article in which LeBron James showered praise on Watkins and shared his thoughts on her game. Watkins, who was starting off her second year of collegiate basketball at the time, was dubbed “a star” by one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
“She’s already a star. The way she plays the game, how fierce of a competitor she is, what she represents…It’s everybody’s dream to be able to play with that passion, to be able to shoot the ball, rebound the ball, push the ball, handle the ball. And she wants to win. Everybody can gravitate toward that,” James was quoted as saying.
Watkins will now attempt to make a return in the 2025-26 collegiate hoops season, although she may opt to redshirt it, given her injury. In her two years with the Trojans so far, Watkins has averaged 25.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks per contest.
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