Charles "C. J." Akeem Watson Jr. (born April 17, 1984) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

College career

Watson played college basketball for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

for four seasons. During his freshman season, he earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors. His best season came during his senior year in 2005–06, where he and fellow All-American

Chris Lofton Christopher Franklin Lofton (born March 27, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers. High school Chris Lofton is from Maysville, Kentucky, where he le ...

led the Volunteers to a 22–8 record and a 12–4 record in SEC play. He averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds, and earned second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and the league coaches. He finished his collegiate career as Tennessee's second all-time leader in assists (577), second in steals (198), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.396), tied for eighth in three-point field goals (401), and 15th in scoring (1,424 points).

Professional career

European career (2006–2007)

Despite an excellent college career, Watson went undrafted in

2006 NBA draft The 2006 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2006, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. c ...

. He then played briefly with

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in 2006 NBA summer league before joining

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

team Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia. He averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17 games. He then moved on to join

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

A1 Ethniki team PAOK B.C., where he averaged 7.4 points and 2.2 assists in five games.

D-League career (2007–2008)

Watson returned to the states to revive his NBA career, participated in 2007 NBA summer league with the Spurs and later joined the Charlotte Bobcats' training camp. However, he once again failed to make the roster for the season. On November 1, 2007, he joined NBA D-League and was drafted 5th overall by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He averaged 26.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.38 steals in 38.1 minutes per game for the Vipers before signed by

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

on January 8, 2008. At the time of the call-up, Watson was the third-leading scorer in the D-League. He also became the 100th player to be called up by an NBA team in D-League history.WARRIORS: Warriors Sign Guard CJ Watson To 10-Day Contract
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Golden State Warriors (2008–2010)

On January 8, 2008,

signed Watson to a 10-day contract to be a backup point guard to All-Star Baron Davis. He impressed Warriors coach

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

and subsequently earned a second 10-day contract. After two 10-day contracts, where he appeared in 8 games, averaging 5.4 points and 1.8 assists in 16.6 minutes, Watson was signed for the remainder of the season. On February 17, 2010, Watson scored a career-high 40 points against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

with 16-of-23 shooting.

Chicago Bulls (2010–2012)

On July 21, 2010, Watson was acquired in a sign and trade deal by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

, signing a 3-year, $10.2 million contract. On November 26, 2010, the Bulls' starting

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA ...

was out with a stiff neck. Watson started against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

and scored a season-high 33 points in a loss, while also shooting 50% from the field. On December 14, 2011, Watson changed his number from 32 to 7 because of Richard "Rip" Hamilton signing with the Bulls. On April 28, 2012, in the Bulls' first game of that year's playoffs, guard

suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. In his absence, Watson started the rest of the Bulls' playoff games. The Bulls lost in the first round to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. Watson averaged 7.3 points on 24% shooting in the series.

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2013)

On July 23, 2012, Watson signed with the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

. On February 13, 2013, he scored a season-high 25 points in the 119–108 win over the Denver Nuggets. His 25 points were the most he'd scored since November 2010, and his five three-pointers also set a career high. Watson averaged 6.8 points in 80 regular season games for the Nets as a backup point guard to

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...

. In the Nets' seven playoff games, he averaged 8.6 points per game.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2015)

On July 10, 2013, Watson signed with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On April 13, 2014, he scored a season-high 20 points in the 102–97 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. In his first season with Indiana, Watson averaged 6.6 points in 63 regular season games as a backup point guard to George Hill. In 18 playoff games, Watson averaged 5.8 points per game.

Orlando Magic (2015–2017)

On July 9, 2015, Watson signed with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. On February 19, 2016, he played in his first game for the Magic since November 9, 2015, due to a left calf injury. On July 10, 2017, Watson was waived by the Magic.

Turkey (2018–2019)

In February 2018, Watson signed with Uşak Sportif of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

Personal life

Watson majored in psychology at Tennessee and continued working toward his degree every summer after starting his professional basketball career. He completed his coursework in 2012. He has one brother, Kashif, who played college basketball for the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

, and one sister, Vonyetta.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 32 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .426 , , .346 , , .793 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 77 , , 18 , , 24.5 , , .457 , , .400 , , .870 , , 2.5 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 65 , , 15 , , 27.5 , , .468 , , .310 , , .771 , , 2.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 10.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 82 , , 1 , , 13.3 , , .371 , , .393 , , .740 , , 1.1 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 49 , , 25 , , 23.7 , , .368 , , .393 , , .808 , , 1.0 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 80 , , 8 , , 19.0 , , .418 , , .411 , , .780 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .2 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 63 , , 5 , , 18.9 , , .437 , , .366 , , .784 , , 1.6 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 57 , , 21 , , 24.9 , , .434 , , .400 , , .826 , , 2.9 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 33 , , 2 , , 19.9 , , .343 , , .292 , , .872 , , 2.0 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 9 , , 16.3 , , .387 , , .305 , , .864 , , 1.4, , 1.8 , , .7 , , .0 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 600 , , 104 , , 20.2 , , .419 , , .373 , , .812 , , 1.9 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 7.2

Playoffs

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2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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, 16 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .339 , , .200 , , .909 , , .9 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

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, 6 , , 5 , , 27.3 , , .241 , , .250 , , .750 , , 2.2 , , 5.5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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, 7 , , 0 , , 23.0 , , .436 , , .267 , , .667 , , 2.4 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

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, 19 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .411 , , .400 , , .607 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .8 , , .1 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 48 , , 5 , , 16.7 , , .363 , , .314 , , .701 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 5.5

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, C. J. 1984 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Big3 players Bishop Gorman High School alumni Brooklyn Nets players Chicago Bulls players Golden State Warriors players Indiana Pacers players Orlando Magic players Pallacanestro Reggiana players P.A.O.K. BC players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Basketball players from Las Vegas Tennessee Volunteers basketball players Undrafted NBA players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's 3x3 basketball players