LOS ANGELES -- You’ve heard of the Muss Bus, named after USC men's basketball coach Eric Musselman, well there was a different bus on the USC campus Thursday afternoon. JuJu Watkins, in partnership with Nike, had an event on the McCarthy Quad ahead of the big rematch between No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 USC in the "Battle of the LAnd."
Students were invited to take part in knockout, "Basket pong," pop-a-shot, and 1-on-1 games to win numerous prizes. The prizes included a special edition JuJu x Nike shirt, a victory sized foam finger, miniature Nike basketballs, Nike USC towels, and posters of the athlete in her newest Nike campaign.
Alyssa Mejia
Nike unveils JuJu Bus at on campus pop-up
A similar event took place in collaboration with both USC basketball programs last year to create buzz around the new season and the University’s inaugural HoopLA event which took place the same day. The company branded that 2023 event as Dunk for dunks, where students essentially showed off their hoop skills in exchange for some Nikes.
The on-campus activation was in addition to Nike unveiling murals of Watkins at the legendary Figueroa Hotel in Downton Los Angeles. The three mural on the three building featured massive photos of Watkins with the tag line, "You can't win. So win."
In addition to her Nike ads, Watkins, who is the favorite to win the Wooden Award this season, is on State Farm television ads.
Courtesy USC
Feb 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans Guard JuJu Watkins and Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb at Nike LA Pop-up on campus
The USC Women of Troy take a trip on the freeway this Saturday, March 1st, to take on The UCLA Bruins for their last regular season game.