USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins heaped praise on LeBron James, whose age-defying acts at 39-years-old continue to blow her away.

In her first season at the collegiate level, Watkins reset the record books with a performance to remember, recording the most points of any freshman in NCAA women’s basketball history with 920. The strong showing propelled the Trojans to an Elite Eight berth in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies.

Watkins picked up right where she left off this season, propelling USC to a 68-66 win over No. 20 Ole Miss on Monday. The guard finished the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on 8-of-19 shooting from the field.

• Hailey Van Lith hits back at reporter after awkward TCU question – ‘That’s wrong’
• Kim Mulkey gives herself chance to deliver on LSU promise again after Angel Reese blow

During her record-breaking freshman campaign, Watkins routinely crossed paths with Bronny James, a fellow Trojan who now plays alongside his dad, LeBron, on the Los Angeles Lakers after being selected with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Discussing the pair with Women’s Fastbreak last month, she insisted that the father-son duo are must-watch television.

“Insane,” Watkins said when asked what it’s like to watch LeBron and Bronny play for the same team. “I think that’s the only word to describe it. It’s never been done before, so I’d just say insane, honestly.”

As a Los Angeles, California native, Watkins expressed a strong desire to watch the tandem play in person sometime in the near future. “Yeah, I have to,” she said. “You know, LeBron announced that he’s only got a couple of years left, so I’m just gonna see him as much as I can, ’cause he’s my favorite player. So yeah, any chance I get for sure.”

Follow us on Xfor the best and latest in sports news

This isn’t the first time that Watkins has publicly voiced her support of LeBron. During a sit down with CBS Sports’ Ashley Nicole Moss in early October, she was presented with a hypothetical situation involving the four-time NBA Champion and several other NBA superstars.

“Three seconds left in the game. You’re down by one. Only one player can take the final shot. James Harden or LeBron James?” Moss asked, to which Wilson immediately replied: “LeBron.” The 19-year-old proceeded to choose the four-time NBA MVP over every player proposed, including Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant.

While appearing on ‘Podcast P With Paul George’ back in April, Watkins divulged the pearl of wisdom that LeBron has repeatedly given her during their previous conversations. “Every time I see him, it’s always like ‘keep going’,” she said. “Just what he’s able to accomplish, I think he’s already inspiring. just seeing how far he’s come.”

Sure enough, LeBron shared a similar message to Watkins on social media. Taking to Instagram, he posted a photo of the USC phenom doing a rope exercise alongside the caption: “Gotta keep you right, Ju.”