USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins was fighting back tears after her long-awaited return to the court on Monday night.

Watkins, 21, suffered a horror ACL tear during the early stages of March Madness in 2025.

The Trojans star guard missed the entirety of the 2025/26 season due to the injury, a brutal total of 588 days on the sideline.

But now Watkins has made her grand return to the court and did so with a huge win over UNLV.

It didn’t take long for the superstar guard to shake off the rust either, notching 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 25 minutes of action.

Her strong outing helped propel No. 3 ranked USC to a 100-68 win over UNLV.

And speaking with CBS Sports reporter Jordan Giorgio after the game, it was clear just how much it meant to Watkins being back.

“It was great to just be out there with my team again, and to see the first one fall through really helped,” she responded to Giorgio.

Then asked what she was most proud of on her remarkable journey back to the court, Watkins was particularly proud of her ‘consistency’.

“There were days where I could have just given up, and so, I kept pushing through and I’m just grateful that I’m here,” Watkins added.

It was at that point that Giorgio noted the USC superstar tearing up a little bit, commenting, “I see you getting a little teary-eyed right now.”

Watkins jokingly hit back, saying, “No, no, I’m not,” while she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

Quizzed on whether the moment had truly sunk in, she said, “A little bit. A little bit. I think just so many hours went into this, so just really grateful that I’m at this point.”

After the game, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb made sure to praise her star guard for her incredible resilience.

“Imagine not playing a game for 580-something days when you love the game as much as she does,” Gottlieb told reporters.

“The game is just better with her in it, and I think she’ll continue to get even just sharper, more comfortable.”

On her performance on Monday night, Gottlieb added, “I think she physically looks great, explosive-wise and all that. It’s just finding that rhythm.”

Watkins will aim to build on her triumphant return against Utah State next Monday night.