Juju Watkins Exclusive Basketball Camp Was About More Than Basketball

I've been to enough basketball events over the years that I thought I knew exactly what to expect. There would be drills, coaches teaching, parents watching from the sidelines, and kids excited to spend the day learning from one of the biggest names in women's basketball. All of that was there.

About 150 girls filled the gym, rotating through stations that focused on shooting, ball handling, defense, transition drills, and scrimmages. The energy never really slowed down. Every station had coaches encouraging the girls, every made basket brought cheers, and every camper seemed determined to get a little better before the day was over.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped paying attention to the basketball.

I found myself watching the people instead.

JuJu wasn't standing off to the side while everyone else did the work. She was in the middle of it, talking with campers, smiling, taking pictures, encouraging kids, and making sure they felt seen. Then I started noticing her family. They weren't there just to support from a distance. They were helping wherever they were needed, talking with parents, checking on campers, and making sure everything ran smoothly. It never felt like a celebrity event. It felt like a family opening its doors to the community.

The camp was made possible through the support of JPMorgan Chase, Google Health, Google Pixel, Ritz, Gatorade, and Nike. Their involvement helped make the day about more than basketball. Along with the drills, the girls also participated in workshops that encouraged them to think about their future, their health, and the opportunities available to them beyond the game.

As the day went on, I had the opportunity to speak with several people involved in the event, including JuJu Watkins. I expected to hear different perspectives depending on who I was talking to, but one message kept finding its way into every conversation: community. Nobody seemed to be saying it because it sounded good. They said it because they believed it. Giving back, creating opportunities, and making sure the next generation has access to experiences like this weren't talking points—they were the reason the camp existed.

By the time I left, that was my biggest takeaway. Yes, I saw great basketball. I saw talented young players learning from coaches who cared, and I watched one of the best players in the country invest her time in the next generation. But what stayed with me wasn't a drill or a highlight. It was seeing a family use basketball as a way to give back to the city that helped shape them.

I captured a lot more than I could ever fit into a single article, including my conversations with JuJu and several others who helped make this day possible. If you want to see what the camp actually looked and felt like, and hear those conversations for yourself, be sure to watch the full behind-the-scenes video below.