Every basketball player goes through an injury phase in their career but only a few beat the odds and continue striving on the court. Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James has gone through enough of those phases in his career and hence knows the consequences and ramifications attached to injuries very well, especially ankle injuries. Therefore, this 17-year-old wonderkid impressed James with a dominating performance, playing with two injured ankles. Following King James’s praises, the NBA world joined in to applaud the rising star.

Juju Watkins, the 17-year-old female prodigy plays as the guard for the Sierra Canyon High school basketball team. She ranks number 1 in the ESPN recruitment rankings for high school prospects in the country. Moreover, James’ son Bronny James plays for the same high school as her. While Bronny generally impresses everyone with his performance, Watkins’ spectacular game caught James’ attention recently.

LeBron James lauds the perseverance of this young female prodigy

Despite the ankle injury mid-way through the game, Watkins powered her team to a thumping victory against the Sidwell Friends high school. She scored 29 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists supported by Mackenly Randolf with 22 points and 13 rebounds. During the second quarter, Watkins twisted her already sore ankles and left the court for relief.

The Sidwell Friends capitalized on the moment and took the lead (25-24). After the second quarter, she managed to get back on the court and lead her side to an astounding 67-55 victory. Among the people enthralled by the youngster’s brilliant and inspiring showing was NBA legend LeBron James, who took to his Instagram and shared the stats and video of the gameplay on his stories. 

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Meanwhile, fans swarmed into the comments section and lauded Watkins for her commendable performance. One user wrote, “juju is so smooth. the gap between her and everyone on the floor around her is clear.” Following are some reactions from the fans.

“different breeds !

“juju and Mac be cookin y’all “

“Very tuff”

“Ju ju ballin”

“Ain’t nobody been able to beat Sidwell, but Sierra Canyon did which tells me they should be moved to #1″

“her shooting form is amazing”

“Best in the country”

“Go girl!!!!”

Watkins’ coach on her brilliant battle against injuries

According to a Los Angeles Daily News article, Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki said, “I know Juju very  well, there was no drastic screaming or anything, so it made me feel better about it.” After the game, Watkins said, “I knew I had to get back out there. It was a mental thing. I waited for the pain to go down.”

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What do you make of Juju Watkins’ performance? Let us know in the comments.