JuJu Watkins not only has all the support she can get following her season-ending injury, but even her colleagues in the women’s basketball industry are defending her and the opposing team from the backlash and online bullying that has happened in light of the recent incident.
In a recent post on social media platform X, Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston clapped back at people attacking and blaming the Mississippi State players that JuJu Watkins clashed with prior to her injury.
“I’m usually quiet on [X] but please don’t start this narrative,” Boston said in her post. “What happened to Juju is awful and injuries suck but you don’t know how the opposing player is feeling right now and a comment like this only makes her feel worse than she possibly does. So please stop
I’m usually quiet on Twitter but please don’t start this narrative. What happened to Juju is awful and injuries suck but you don’t know how the opposing player is feeling right now and a comment like this only makes her feel worse than she possibly does. So please stop
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) March 26, 2025
The statement was in response to one social media user who alleged the opposing player from Mississippi State had done something “dirty” to make the injury happen.
The user said on X: “I’m not saying this was intentional or not but what I will say is [JuJu Watkins’] knee did not buckle until the Mississippi State player cut off her path and made contact with her causing her to be off balance. May not have been intentional but it definitely was a dirty play… period.”
I’m usually quiet on Twitter but please don’t start this narrative. What happened to Juju is awful and injuries suck but you don’t know how the opposing player is feeling right now and a comment like this only makes her feel worse than she possibly does. So please stop
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) March 26, 2025
Mississippi State Issues Statement on JuJu Watkins’s Injury
Unfortunately, several people on social media have placed the blame for JuJu Watkins’s injury on the opposing player she had contact with.
The player involved was Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Chandler Prater, who has received social media hate following the injury that JuJu Watkins sustained. It came to a point that Mississippi State had to issue a statement condemning the bullying thrown Prater’s way.
“To reiterate what Coach (Sam) Purcell said following last night’s game, it was an unfortunate situation during a basketball play and our thoughts are with JuJu Watkins as she recovers, ” a Mississippi State athletics department spokesperson said in a statement given to the Clarion Ledger on Tuesday. “We recognize that emotions run high in competitive sports, but there is no excuse for personal attacks or harassment online toward the young women in our program.”
“Mississippi State will continue to support all of our student-athletes, both on and off the court.”
JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL during USC’s second-round victory in the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament. The injury, which occurred early in the game, will require surgery and months of rehabilitation, ending her season and dealing a significant blow to USC’s championship aspirations.
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