Donald Earl "Slick" Watts (July 22, 1951 – March 15, 2025) was 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 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). Playing with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1976, he became the first player to lead the league in both assists and steals. He remained a favorite of Sonics fans after his basketball career.

Early life

Watts was born on July 22, 1951, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. His father was a mechanic and his mother was a teacher. When Watts was 13, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

injury damaged his scalp, causing his hair to grow in unusual patches. This led him to shave his head.

College career

Watts attended Grand View Junior College before transferring to

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Roman Catholic, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic Historically black c ...

in 1970, where he played college basketball for three years under coach Bob Hopkins, and alongside future

NBA 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 ...

player Bruce Seals. For the 197172 season, Watts and Seals led the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

to its first NAIA District 30 Men's Basketball championship, defeating Nicholls State 85–83, before losing to Westmont in the 1972 NAIA basketball tournament semi-finals 71–59. During his final season, Watts led the Gold Rush to their second consecutive NAIA District 30 Championship, defeating Dillard 101–80. In the 1973 NAIA basketball tournament Watts and his teammates upset Sam Houston State, 67–60, in the second round. At the time, the Bearkats were ranked first in the country in all college division polls and had gone 34 games, over a two-year period, without a loss. Xavier eventually lost in the semi-finals to Maryland-Eastern Shore 87–80.

NBA career

Watts was not selected in the 1973 NBA draft, though he was chosen by the Memphis Tams in the second round of the 1973 ABA supplemental draft. However, Watts' college coach at

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

, Bob Hopkins, was a cousin of NBA legend

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...

, who at the time was the coach and general manager for the Seattle SuperSonics. Russell gave Watts a tryout and signed him as a rookie free agent. Despite coming off the bench, Watts led the Sonics in assists per game (5.7) as a rookie in 1973–74. His playing time increased the next season, as Watts led the franchise to its first playoff berth. On February 21, 1975, Watts recorded his first career triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, while adding four steals, in a 110–108 win over the

Atlanta 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 (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. Two days later, Watts recorded a career-high nine steals, while also scoring 13 points and adding 14 assists, during a 114–100 loss 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 ...

. After signing a three-year, $100,000 contract, Watts became a starter for the 1975–76 season, and would go on to lead the NBA in total assists, assists per game, total steals, and steals per game, while making the

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

. He was the first player to lead the NBA in assists and steals in the same season. In 1976, Watts' energetic playing style, unique look, and rapport with the fans led ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' to call him "the most popular athlete ever to perform in the state of Washington". He also received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his outstanding service to the community. Watts followed with another productive year in the 1976–77 season, averaging 8.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game. At the start of the 1977–78 season, Watts was re-united with Hopkins, who was hired as the Sonics' new head coach. But Hopkins was fired after a 5–17 start, and new coach

Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, fi ...

made some lineup changes, one of which was to replace Watts with

Dennis Johnson Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...

. Watts was eventually traded mid-season to the New Orleans Jazz for a first-round draft pick. Watts did not play again in the NBA after the 1978–79 season. He played years with the Sonics, half a season with the New Orleans Jazz, and one season with the

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

. In December 1980, Watts joined the Anchorage Northern Knights of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) with the intent of making it back to the NBA. He averaged 2.3 points and 2.7 assists in 7 games played. Watts departed the team without notice in January 1981 which caused the CBA to issue a release titled "Has Anyone Seen Slick Watts" that urged anyone who saw Watts to inform him that he had been waived. Northern Knights head coach Bill Klucas commented after Watts' departure: "Slick couldn't play a lick." He gained the nickname "Slick" because he was one of the first players to shave his head, unusual at the time. In 1974, ''

The News Tribune ''The News Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Tacoma, Washington. It is the second-largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington with a weekday circulation of 30,945 in 2020. With origins dating back to 1883, the newspaper w ...

'' wrote, "In this day of long hair, Watts is a very unusual person". He was also known for wearing his headband off-center.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

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New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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Playoffs

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1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

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1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

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1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

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Later years

After his playing career, Watts became a

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

teacher at Dearborn Park Elementary School and High Point Elementary School. He coached basketball at Franklin High School in the Seattle area and took up tennis. He ended his post-basketball career teaching physical education for nearly 20 years at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary (formerly named Brighton Elementary) in Seattle before retiring in 2017. Despite a somewhat short tenure with the SuperSonics, Watts remained a fan favorite. He was named to the Sonics' 40th anniversary team before they moved to

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

. The Seattle rap duo

Blue Scholars Blue Scholars is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) and MC Geologic (George Quibuyen), were students at the University of Washington. The name "Blue Scholar ...

named a song about the SuperSonics after him. Watts was a staple at Seattle sporting events, attending SuperSonics and

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...

games. "Slick was a champion for the Storm and a beloved member of the Seattle community”, wrote the Storm organization. ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' called him "an ambassador of Seattle basketball" and "a generational figure in the Seattle hoops scene".

Personal life and demise

Watts' sons both played college basketball, Tony at

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

from 1988–92 and Donald at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

from 1995–99. A grandson, Isaiah, currently plays at

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, and a granddaughter, Jadyn, plays at Western Washington. Watts dealt with

sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (; also known as Besnier–Boeck–Schaumann disease) is a disease involving abnormal collections of White blood cell, inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomata. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or lymph n ...

, an inflammation of the lungs. In 2001, Watts spent 22 days in a hospital with sarcoidosis, which caused his weight to drop by almost before his condition improved. In April 2021, three months before his 70th birthday, Watts suffered a major

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. He died on March 15, 2025, at the age of 73.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Slick 1951 births 2025 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Anchorage Northern Knights players Basketball players from Mississippi Grand View Vikings men's basketball players Houston Rockets players Memphis Tams draft picks New Orleans Jazz players People from Rolling Fork, Mississippi Point guards Seattle SuperSonics players Street basketball players Undrafted NBA players Xavier Gold Rush basketball players

Early life

College career

NBA career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Later years

Personal life and demise

See also

References

External links