Robert E. Watson (March 22, 1930 – January 31, 2017) was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Watson was drafted by the

Milwaukee Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

in the

1952 NBA draft The 1952 NBA draft was the sixth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 26, 1952, before the 1952–53 season. In this draft, ten remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...

. He first played in the NBA with the

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, having played and won championships in both the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to ...

in 1954 before being traded back to the Milwaukee Hawks for

Lew Hitch Lewis Rufus Hitch (July 16, 1929 – February 8, 2012) was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Griggsville, Illinois. A 6'8" forward/ center from Kansas State University, Hitch played six seasons (1951–1957) in t ...

. He died on January 31, 2017, at the age of 86.Former Wildcat Bobby Watson dies
/ref>

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

References

1930 births 2017 deaths Basketball players from Kentucky Guards (basketball) Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Milwaukee Hawks draft picks Milwaukee Hawks players Minneapolis Lakers players People from Central City, Kentucky 20th-century American sportsmen {{1930s-US-basketball-bio-stub