USC star JuJu Watkins will sit out the 2025-26 college basketball season as she continues to recover from a right ACL tear that she suffered in the second round of the NCAA tournament, she announced Sunday.

“These last few months have been filled with a lot of healing, rest, and reflection,” Watkins posted to her Instagram story. “Recovering from this injury hasn’t been easy, and I want to say thank you — your love, support, and kind words have truly lifted me up during one of the most challenging times in my life.

“Because you’ve been with me every step of the way, I wanted you to hear it from me directly that following the advice of my doctors and trainers, I will sit out this season and fully focus on continuing to recover so I can come back to the game I love.”

Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 steals as a sophomore on her way to winning multiple player of the year awards and becoming a two-time first-team All-American. At 20 years old, she’s already widely considered to be a top WNBA prospect.

“JuJu’s health and well-being are our top priority, and we fully support her decision to focus on recovery this season,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement. “While we will certainly miss her impact on the court, she continues to play a vital role in our program as a leader and teammate. The strength and maturity she has shown through this process is a reflection of who she is, and we know the Trojan Family will continue to rally behind her. We look forward to the day she returns to competition stronger than ever.”

The 6-foot-2 guard catapulted her hometown Trojans back into national relevance as soon as she stepped onto campus. She led USC to the 2024 Pac-12 tournament title and the 2025 Big Ten regular-season crown, plus back-to-back No. 1 seeds and Elite Eight finishes in the NCAA tournament.

Watkins reached 1,000 career points in 38 games, tied for the fourth fastest to reach the mark in Division I history.

USC will not only have to deal with Watkins’ absence, but reset following the departures of Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen (graduation) plus Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel (transfers). But the Trojans will bring in No. 1 recruit Jasmine Davidson to help soften the blow.

“I’m excited to keep putting the work in to come back even stronger,” Watkins wrote.

Jose Mourinho could be reunited with Karim Benzema at Benfica, while Liverpool and Manchester United are both weighing up a move for Everton center back Jarrad Branthwaite. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– New Benfica manager Jose Mourinho is keen to be reunited with his former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, according to Marca. The Al Ittihad player is pondering a return to Europe in January, with Benfica among those interested in acquiring his services. Benzema, 37, has been in Saudi Arabia since July 2023, having joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer from Real Madrid. As per Marca, the SPL club’s slow start to the new season has opened the door to a potential exit.

– Liverpool are set to rival Manchester United for center back Jarrad Branthwaite, the Sunday Mirror reports. The Everton man is a longtime target for United, who were linked with a move in the summer of 2025. However, with Liverpool having missed out on signing Marc Guéhi last month, the Reds could decide to pursue a move for Branthwaite instead. Everton haven’t given up on the idea of retaining the 23-year-old, who is under contract at the club until 2030. As per the report, United may “test the waters” with a £65 million offer for the player in January.

– AC Milan are set to rekindle their interest in Liverpool defender Joe Gomez this winter, so says Calciomercato. With Rossoneri head coach Max Allegri keen to bolster his defensive options in January, Gomez remains a player high on the club’s wish list. Milan failed to land the England international on deadline day, but seemingly haven’t been put off trying again next year. Gomez, 28, is under contract at Anfield until June 2027.

– Manchester United hold a key advantage over Chelsea in the race to sign Juventus star Kenan Yildiz, Football Insider reports. Should Marcus Rashford complete a permanent switch to Barcelona next summer, as many at United expect, funds would be freed up to finance a bid for Yildiz. The Turkey international is expected to cost upward of £80 million, although that could rise substantially higher if Juve agree on a new deal with him.

– Karim Adeyemi is “getting closer” to extending his contract at Borussia Dortmund, Nicolo Schira has revealed. Despite being heavily linked with a transfer away from BVB in the summer months, the 23-year-old now looks set to commit his long-term future to the club. He has got off to a fine start to the Bundesliga season, having most recently netted against Mainz on Saturday in a 2-0 away win.

EXPERT TAKE

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OTHER RUMORS

– Manchester United are prepared to let Jadon Sancho leave the club for nothing. The 25-year-old’s current contract expires next summer, though the Red Devils have an option to extend by 12 months. (Sunday Mirror)

– Liverpool are looking at Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano. The Reds are ready to swoop if he doesn’t agree to a new deal with the Bundesliga champions. (Christian Falk)

– Manchester United have lined up Conor Gallagher as a “Plan B” option if their efforts to sign Carlos Baleba prove to be fruitless. (Sunday Express)

– Several Saudi clubs remain interested in signing former Liverpool attacker Philippe Coutinho. Offers in the region of $3 million to $4 million could soon arrive for the Vasco de Gama playmaker. (Ekrem Konur)

– Real Madrid are “keeping tabs” on RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba, who is a long-term defensive target. (Ekrem Konur)

The Phoenix Mercury are headed to the WNBA Finals. The Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces will play one more game to determine which team will face the Mercury.

No. 4 seed Phoenix overcame a 14-point deficit to eliminate the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx with an 86-81 victory on Sunday and advance to the Finals for the first time since 2021.

The Lynx dominated the standings throughout the season but lost back-to-back games in Phoenix, including a controversial ending to Friday’s Game 3, when star Napheesa Collier was injured. Collier missed Sunday’s deciding game, as did Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended after getting ejected Friday and blasting officials in her postgame news conference.

On the other side of the bracket, the Fever beat the Aces 85-77 to force their semifinal series to Game 5 on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Here’s how Phoenix won, and what to expect in the decisive Indiana-Las Vegas game.

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Final: Phoenix 86, Minnesota 81

What the win means for Phoenix

The jubilation of winning the series and advancing to the franchise’s first WNBA Finals in four years also comes with a sigh of relief. Playing against the injury-laden Lynx, the Mercury got off to a slow start, missing their first six field goal attempts, giving Minnesota a sign of life it didn’t appear to have after the end of Friday’s game. But another fourth quarter comeback saved Phoenix from a return trip to Minnesota and a deciding Game 5.

Down by 14 in the first half and 13 entering the fourth quarter, Phoenix dominated the fourth quarter for a third consecutive game. Behind five 3-pointers, including two crucial deep shots from DeWanna Bonner, the Mercury outscored Minnesota 31-13 in the final 10 minutes.

It was the Mercury’s second 14-point comeback in the series. Alyssa Thomas was big in the fourth, scoring 10 of her 23 points. She also assisted on a Sami Whitcomb 3-pointer that brought Phoenix within 70-69 with 4:47 to play, and Bonner’s second 3 that pushed the lead to 77-73 with 2:02 remaining.

Reaching the Finals is a testament to the job general manager Nick U’Ren did in the offseason. He completely revamped the roster, keeping only Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack, while bringing in Thomas and Satou Sabally. The chemistry came together in the biggest moments of the biggest games of the season.

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Alyssa Thomas seals it with late jumper for Mercury

Alyssa Thomas knocks down the clutch shot to make it 81-76 vs. Lynx.

What the loss means for Minnesota

A season with only one mission — to win a championship — ends early. To not only fall short of that goal but see the season end one round earlier than last year is going to be difficult for the franchise to live with all offseason. That the Lynx played so well for 30 minutes in a game in which they didn’t have their star player or coach will be little consolation. Minnesota had complete control of this series until the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Tuesday; five days later its season is over.

All the disappointment will overshadow a brilliant performance by Kayla McBride, who scored a playoff career-high 31 points and tied a WNBA postseason record with six 3-pointers in the second half. Jessica Shepard, who played just eight minutes in Game 3, had 14 points and 7 rebounds in 36 minutes in place of Collier, giving the Lynx exactly what they needed to combat what had been a Mercury advantage on the inside for most of the series.

How do the Mercury prepare for the Finals?

Phoenix now has five days off before the start of the best-of-seven championship round and still won’t know its opponent until the Fever and Aces decide their Game 5 on Tuesday. This week, the Mercury will certainly take a look at how they’re starting games. Phoenix didn’t make a field goal for the first 4:47 on Sunday and scored just 14 first-quarter points. The Mercury trailed after the first quarter in three of the four games in the series. It’s nice to be the comeback kids and to have confidence late in games, but putting themselves in those situations is precarious. — Charlie Creme

Final: Indiana 90, Las Vegas 83

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Fever take down Aces in Game 4 to even series

Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell combine for 49 points to boost the Fever to a win in Game 4 over the Aces.

What the win means for Indiana

A winner-take-all Game 5 on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Given all the injuries the Fever have dealt with this season, they’ll undoubtedly take it. And there’s no reason for Indiana not to believe in a possible win. The Fever already won at Michelob Ultra Arena in Game 1 and knocked off the Atlanta Dream in an identical situation in the first round.

Beyond those general factors, Indiana found something by playing through Aliyah Boston in Game 4. Having made just two free throws in the first three games of the series while scoring 28 total points, Boston smashed that total by going 10-for-13 from the line Sunday en route to 24 points — not to mention 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. At age 23, Boston is the youngest player in WNBA history with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a playoff game according to ESPN Research.

What the loss means for Las Vegas

The Aces are also headed to their second deciding game in as many series, having survived an upset bid when the Seattle Storm missed at the buzzer in Game 3 of the opening round.

Although Vegas is a win away from hosting the WNBA Finals, this hasn’t been the kind of dominant playoff run we expected based on the Aces’ 16-game winning streak to end the regular season, which they stretched to 17 by winning their opening game against Seattle. Since then, Las Vegas has gone 3-3. If the Aces want to be favored against Phoenix in the Finals, they’ll need to show us something in Game 3.

Where else can the Aces find offense?

After A’ja Wilson struggled from the field in Las Vegas’ Game 3 win, she had no such trouble in scoring 31 points on 14-of-24 shooting on Sunday. The Aces’ backcourt of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young also excelled with a combined 30 points and 18 assists, making five 3-pointers. But the three leading scorers combined for nearly three-quarters of Las Vegas’ 83 points.

The Aces’ bench totaled 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, a problem given starter Kierstan Bell logged just six minutes. They’ve only had fewer points in one game so far this postseason — Game 3 against Seattle. — Kevin Pelton