USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins recently suffered a season-ending ACL injury and the moment of her injury—from her falling to the floor to her screaming in pain and to her getting carried out—was caught on camera and was broadcasted, with people reposting and sharing it all over social media now. However, for Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby, having the moment broadcasted just feels wrong.
In one of her recent posts on X, Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby pointed out one thing she did not like about how the media handled the injury that happened to JuJu Watkins. In particular, she did not like how the camera “hovered” over Watkins in the moment of visible excruciating pain.
Hamby said in her post: “CAMERA PPL, STOP HOVERING OVER PLAYERS WHEN THEY ARE IN PAIN!!!!!”
CAMERA PPL, STOP HOVERING OVER PLAYERS WHEN THEY ARE IN PAIN!!!!!
— Dearica Marie Hamby (@dearicamarie) March 25, 2025
While a lot of her fans agreed with the sentiment, some pointed out that it was not the cameraman’s call but rather those in a higher position than them.
Someone responded to Hamby: “Guys it is not the camera man in charge of that kind of the shot & which camera goes live. They’re just doing their job & unfortunately we had to see that.”
Guys it is not the camera man in charge of that kind of the shot & which camera goes live. They’re just doing their job & unfortunately we had to see that. https://t.co/QGBC8bCxna
— Fuzzy Frog 🐸 (@Jaegseun25) March 25, 2025
In response, Hamby clarified that regardless of whose call it was, her point was that a moment like that should not be feasted upon through a camera lens.
She responded: “Idc who’s in charge… camera .. production … it’s clear at a certain point it’s not passing. Point the camera at the ground or something.. do the big arena view… you don’t have to be zooming in on her.… she’s clearly screaming in pain.”
Idc who’s in charge… camera .. production … it’s clear at a certain point it’s not passing. Point the camera at the ground or something.. do the big arena view… you don’t have to be zooming in on her.… she’s clearly screaming in pain. Like have some sort of awareness.
— Dearica Marie Hamby (@dearicamarie) March 25, 2025
“Like have some sort of awareness.”
JuJu Watkins has been officially ruled out for the rest of the season.
What Happened to JuJu Watkins and Her Injury?
USC Trojans’ star guard JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending injury during the NCAA Tournament’s second-round game against Mississippi State. About five minutes into the game, Watkins drove to the basket on a fast break, but her right knee buckled as she planted her leg, causing her to collapse to the floor in visible pain.
She was carried off the court and later diagnosed with a torn ACL in her right knee. Despite the emotional blow of losing their best player, the Trojans rallied to secure a dominant 96-59 victory and advanced to the Sweet 16.
This injury ended Juju Watkin’s impressive season, where she averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
