Justin Lee Watts (born July 1, 1990) is an American 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 who last played for

Chernomorets Burgas PSFC Chernomorets Burgas () or simply Chernomorets () was a Bulgarian football club from the city of Burgas. The club never won any major competition, its most notable achievement being a second-place finish in the UEFA Intertoto Cup competitio ...

of the Bulgarian National Basketball League. 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 North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, where he won an

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

as a freshman in 2009. He turned pro in 2013 and won a QBL championship with the Rockhampton Rockets. He went on to play with clubs in Mexico, Japan, Uruguay, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Lithuania, Switzerland and the Philippines.

High school career

Watts attended Charles E. Jordan High School in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. He was a three-year starter for Coach Kim Annas and was in the Jordan program for four seasons. He was a leading scorer on all three of the varsity teams he played on, topped by a senior season in which he averaged 24.4 points and 8.7 rebounds. Also an outstanding student, Watts was the Pac-6 Conference Player of the Year, the District 6 Player of the Year, and three-time all-conference selection and Jordan Most Valuable Player. He also made the all-tournament team at the GlaxoSmithKline Tournament in December 2007 and was named a second-team NCBCA All-State honoree in 2008. In April 2024, Watts was inducted into the Jordan High School Hall of Fame.

College career

On May 21, 2008, Watts signed a

National Letter of Intent The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manag ...

to play

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

. As a freshman at UNC in 2008–09, Watts was a member of the national championship team that were victorious in the

2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2008– ...

. He played in 27 games, including four of the six games in the NCAA Tournament, and scored the final two points against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

in the NCAA championship game in Detroit. He totalled 19 points and five assists during the season and had a season-high nine points and four rebounds in Maui against Chaminade. Watts had a subdued college career, as he finished his four-year stint with averages of 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.7 minutes over 122 games. Throughout his time at UNC, Watts was co-captain on a team who were perennial finalists with multiple players every year being drafted to the NBA, and although his opportunities were limited playing alongside numerous NBA recruits, he still made an impact when he was on the court, as his versatility allowed him to play multiple positions from point guard to power forward.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, 27 , , 0 , , 3.1 , , .242 , , .000 , , .429 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 2 , , 6.2 , , .405 , , .444 , , .429 , , .8 , , .8 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .375 , , .333 , , .533 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 1 , , 7.2 , , .422 , , .167 , , .368 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , .3 , , .1 , , 1.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 122 , , 3 , , 6.7 , , .368 , , .286 , , .457 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.4

Professional career

Rockhampton Rockets (2013)

In March 2013, Watts signed with the Rockhampton Rockets for the 2013 Queensland Basketball League season. In his debut, he scored a season-high 28 points against the Gladstone Port City Power. He scored 20 points or more 13 times throughout the season, and helped the Rockets finish the regular season in first place with a 14–2 record. The Rockets went on to advance to the QBL Grand Final, where they defeated the

Brisbane Capitals Brisbane Capitals is a NBL1 North club based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 North. The club is a division of Brisbane Basketball Incorporated (BBI), one of the major administrative basketball o ...

102–95 to win the championship behind an 18-point effort from Watts. He appeared in all 18 games for the Rockets in 2013, averaging 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Mineros de Caborca (2014)

After negotiations with the Rockhampton Rockets fell through in March 2014, Watts joined Mexican team Mineros de Caborca for the 2014 CIBACOPA season. In his debut, he scored a season-high 36 points against Zonkeys de Tijuana. He scored 30 points or more five times throughout the season. In 21 games, he averaged 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Takamatsu Five Arrows (2014–2015)

On August 20, 2014, Watts signed with the Takamatsu Five Arrows for the 2014–15 Japanese

bj league The was a professional basketball league in Japan that began in November 2005 as a six-team league. The league was operated as a competitor to the established Japan Super League which was run by the Japan Basketball Association, the official ...

season. He made his debut for the Five Arrows in their season opener on October 4, scoring 17 points in an 87–72 win over

Bambitious Nara The are a Japanese professional basketball team based in Nara (city), Nara, Japan. They compete in the Western Conference of the Second Division of the B.League. The team's name is a combination of the phrase "be ambitious" and the name of the cha ...

. On December 14, he had a season-best game with 29 points and 17 rebounds in a 107–77 loss to the

Akita Northern Happinets The Akita Northern Happinets are a Japanese professional basketball team based in Akita that competes in the Eastern Conference of the First Division of the B.League. The team was formed as an expansion team of the bj league in 2010 and found s ...

. On January 9, 2015, he was picked to compete in the 2015 bj league All-Star Game as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team. Watts helped Takamatsu finish the regular season as the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 17–35 record. In their first-round playoff match-up with the first-seeded

Kyoto Hannaryz The Kyoto Hannaryz (京都ハンナリーズ ''Kyōto Hannarīzu'') are a Japanese basketball team playing in Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a popul ...

, Takamatsu were defeated 2–0 despite an 18-point effort from Watts in Game 1. Watts appeared in all 54 games for Takamatsu in 2014–15, averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Defensor Sporting (2015)

On August 22, 2015, Watts signed with

Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievement ...

for the 2015–16 LUB season. He sustained an injury on November 3, which resulted in him being replaced in the line-up by Robert Hornsby on November 8. In seven games for Defensor, Watts averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Vaqueros de Agua Prieta (2016)

In March 2016, Watts had a four-game stint with CIBACOPA team Vaqueros de Agua Prieta, averaging 11.8 points per game.

Den Bosch (2016–2017)

On October 26, 2016, Watts signed with

New Heroes Den Bosch Heroes Den Bosch is a Dutch professional basketball club based in 's-Hertogenbosch. The club plays in the BNXT League since 2021 and in the top basketball division in the Netherlands since 1972. Founded as EBBC in 1951, the club had several sponso ...

of the

Dutch Basketball League The Dutch Basketball League (DBL), formerly the Eredivisie, was the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands, run by the Federatie Eredivisie Basketball (FEB). Since 2021, the league has been replaced by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT Le ...

. Den Bosch finished the 2016–17 regular season in fourth place with a 14–14 record, and made it through to the semi-finals, where they were defeated 4–0 by the first-seeded

Donar Thor (from ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and fertility. Beside ...

. In 25 games for Den Bosch, Watts averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Czarni Słupsk (2017–2018)

On August 1, 2017, Watts signed with Polish team

Czarni Słupsk Czarni Słupsk, more commonly known as Icon Sea Czarni Słupsk because of sponsorship reasons, is a Polish basketball team, based in Słupsk, playing in Polish Basketball League (PLK). The home arena of the club was Hala Gryfia. History In July ...

for the 2017–18 PLK season. He left the team on January 10, 2018. In 13 games, he averaged 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Al Gharafa Doha (2018)

In February 2018, Watts joined Al Gharafa Doha of the

Qatari Basketball League The Qatari Basketball League () is the top-tier men's basketball league operating in Qatar. The winning team obtains the participation right to the FIBA West Asia Super League. The first official season took place in 1981/82. There is a second ...

Pieno žvaigždės (2018)

In August 2018, Watts signed with

Pieno žvaigždės Pieno žvaigždės is fourth-largest dairy products company in Lithuania., uniting Mažeikiai dairy, Kaunas dairy, Pasvalys creamery and company "Panevėžio pienas". Pieno žvaigždės is listed in the NASDAQ OMX Vilnius under the ticker sym ...

of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

. He was released by the team on November 12. In 10 games, he averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Fribourg Olympic Basket (2018–2019)

On November 13, 2018, Watts signed with Swiss team

Fribourg Olympic Basket Fribourg Olympic Basket, commonly known as Fribourg Olympic, is a Swiss professional basketball club that is based in Fribourg. Due to name sponsorship reasons, the former name of the club was Benetton Fribourg. The club is a seventeen-time Swiss ...

. In nine BCL games, he averaged 6.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game. He also averaged 13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in four SBL games.

Wilki Morskie Szczecin (2019)

On February 25, 2019, Watts signed with

Wilki Morskie Szczecin The King Wilki Morskie Szczecin is a Polish professional basketball team based in Szczecin, West Pomeranian. King Szczecin competes in the Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK), the top tier league in Poland. The club was founded in 2004 and made its d ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

, returning to the country for a second stint. In 14 games, he averaged 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Alaska Aces (2019)

On September 10, 2019, Watts signed with the Alaska Aces as the team's import for the

2019 PBA Governors' Cup The 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup also known as the 2019 Honda–PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons was the third and final conference of the 2019 PBA season. The tournament allows teams to hire foreign play ...

. However, due to a calf injury, he was released after two games. He had 62 points and 26 rebounds over his two games.

MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza (2019–2020)

On December 17, 2019, Watts signed with MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza of the

, returning to the country for a third stint. In nine games, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Donar (2020–2021)

On July 15, 2020, Watts signed with

of the

. After encountering passport problems due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Watts was replaced on the roster by

Henry Caruso Henry "Hank" Joseph Caruso (February 24, 1922 – November 26, 2017) was an American businessman. He was the founder of Dollar Rent A Car. Early life Of Italian heritage, Caruso was born in Pennsylvania. His father, August Caruso, worked in the ...

before the preseason. He later joined Donar on January 11, 2021. In 19 games, he averaged 7.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Chernomorets Burgas (2022–2023)

In September 2022, Watts signed with

of the Bulgarian National Basketball League. After appearing in four games, he missed a month of action due to a toe injury. He parted ways with the team in January 2023 after averaging 11 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in eight games.

Personal life

Watts is the son of Gregory and Linda Watts. His cousin, Hank Poteat, played ten NFL seasons with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, New England, the New York Jets, and the Cleveland Browns.

References

External links