Earl Watson is a former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons. He was born on June 12, 1979, in Kansas City, Kansas, and grew up in Southern California. Watson played college basketball at UCLA, where he was a standout point guard and helped lead the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2000.
After his sophomore year, Watson declared for the NBA draft and was selected in the second round (39th overall) by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2001. He played for the SuperSonics for three seasons before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2004. Watson played for the Grizzlies for two seasons before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006.
Watson played for the Nuggets for one season before signing with the Indiana Pacers in 2007. He played for the Pacers for two seasons before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009. Watson played for the Thunder for one season before signing with the Utah Jazz in 2010.
Watson played for the Jazz for two seasons before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. He played for the Trail Blazers for one season before signing with the Indiana Pacers for a second stint in 2013. Watson played for the Pacers for one season before signing with the Utah Jazz for a second stint in 2014.
Watson played for the Jazz for two seasons before signing with the Phoenix Suns in 2016. He played for the Suns for one season before retiring from the NBA in 2017. Over the course of his NBA career, Watson played in 878 games and averaged 6.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
After retiring from the NBA, Watson became a coach and served as an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League in 2017. He was then hired as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns in 2018. In 2019, Watson was named the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, but he was fired after just 20 games.
Throughout his career, Watson was known for his leadership, work ethic, and ability to play both ends of the court. He was also known for his philanthropic work and was named the NBA's Community Assist Award winner in 2014. Watson remains involved in basketball as a coach and mentor to young players.
🏀