Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie says don’t count out the USC Trojans just yet.
‘We can’t just write USC off because JuJu (Watkins) is not out there,’ Leslie said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. ‘We have to give them their respect.’
The No. 1 seeded Trojans will be without superstar guard JuJu Watkins the rest of the women’s NCAA Tournament after she suffered a season-ending ACL injury early in USC’s 96-59 second-round win over Mississippi State. Leslie called Watkins’ injury ‘heartbreaking’ and said she ‘can only imagine what she feels’
‘Nobody wants to see that. We know that injuries are a part of the sport, but it’s heartbreaking,’ said Leslie, who like Watkins is a Los Angeles native who starred at USC. ‘It’s just tough to see her go down. It has nothing to do with basketball and the brackets anymore. JuJu is a phenomenon, and she has such an amazing impact on the women’s game. We just hope to see back out there soon.’
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Lisa Leslie: Kiki Iriafen is up next
USC will next face No. 5 seed Kansas State in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday. The Trojans are now only slight favorites without Watkins, but Leslie said senior Kiki Iriafen is primed to lead the team, much like her 36-point, 8-rebound performance vs. Mississippi State on Monday.
‘Kiki (Iriafen) has been that one, two punch with JuJu (Watkins), but this is a moment where she has an opportunity to shine,’ Leslie said. ‘(USC) has three losses on the season. That’s not just one player doing that. (Watkins) has other teammates that can score and play defense, so we have to give them their respect.’
Leslie predicted that Iriafen will be a top prospect in the upcoming 2025 WNBA draft, which will be held on April 14, a little more than one week after the women’s NCAA Tournament concludes with the championship game on April 6. In For The Win’s latest mock draft, Irafen is predicted to be selected No. 3 overall by the Washington Mystics. (For The Win is part of the USA TODAY Network.)
Leslie continued: ‘What Kiki (Iriafen) was able to do and how she finished that (second-round) game is just a glimpse of what she’s going to be able to do, not just in this tournament, but in the next level. I look for her to have great success… She’ll definitely go top five.’
Lisa Leslie on Caitlin Clark: ‘I’m so grateful for her’
Leslie also chimed in on the discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s 2025 broadcast schedule. The Fever are expected to have 41 of their 44 games featured on a national broadcast or live stream throughout the season, nine games more than the defending champion New York Liberty. The amount of exposure has drawn both criticism and praise, but Leslie said she doesn’t ‘know what the big deal is.’
‘It’s all about money, marketing, and we cannot deny what Caitlin Clark has done for the women’s game,’ said Leslie, a two-time WNBA champion (2001, 2002) and three-time league MVP (2001, 2004, 2006). ‘Why would we feel some type of way that she has more television games? … I don’t know what the big deal is of the fact that Caitlin is getting a lot of love. She deserves that and she’s helped change this game.’
Leslie said there’s no double that the ‘Caitlin Clark’ effect has brought unprecedented popularity to the WNBA, which will benefit the entire league and all of the players.
‘I think we have to understand that when one player eats, we’re all eating and we all get more opportunities. It just opens it up for everyone else,’ Leslie said. ‘I love that she’s not the player that makes it all about her. She’s given love and homage to the players that have come before her. She shares the wealth with her teammates and she doesn’t have to do that.’
Leslie added, ‘Listen, Caitlin I’m so grateful for her. I’m thankful for all these women and where this game is and we need to step back and see the big picture of how it’s impacting all of us.’
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