Earl Watson facts for kids
Watson with the Indiana Pacers in 2009
|
|
| San Diego Toreros | |
|---|---|
| Assistant coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 12, 1979 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
| High school | Washington (Kansas City, Kansas) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 199 lb (90 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | UCLA (1997–2001) |
| NBA Draft | 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39th overall |
| Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Pro career | 2001–2014 |
| Coaching career | 2014–present |
| League | West Coast Conference |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2001–2002 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 2002–2005 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2005–2006 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2006–2009 | Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2009–2010 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2010–2013 | Utah Jazz |
| 2013–2014 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| As coach: | |
| 2014–2015 | Austin Spurs (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2016–2017 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2021–2023 | Toronto Raptors (assistant) |
| 2024–present | San Diego (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career West Coast Conference statistics | |
| Points | 5,593 (6.4 ppg) |
| Assists | 3,871 (4.4 apg) |
| Steals | 873 (1.0 spg) |
Earl Joseph Watson Jr. (born June 12, 1979) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the San Diego Toreros.
Watson played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He was a starter for four years and was named an all-conference player in his senior year. In 2001, he was chosen by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2001 NBA draft. He played 13 seasons in the NBA for seven different teams. After retiring as a player in 2014, he became a coach. He was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2016 to 2017.
Contents
High School and College Basketball
Watson went to Washington High School in Kansas City, Kansas. In his final year of high school, he was an amazing player. He averaged 23.4 points, 8.3 assists, and 14 rebounds per game.
At UCLA, Watson was a starting player. He even played alongside future NBA All-Star Baron Davis. They were the first two freshmen to start at UCLA since 1979. Watson started the most games in a row in UCLA basketball history. In his senior year (2000–01), he averaged 14.7 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He was recognized as a first-team All-Pac-10 player.
Playing in the NBA
The Seattle SuperSonics picked Watson in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft. During the 2007–08 NBA season, Watson averaged 10.7 points and 6.8 assists for the Sonics.
On February 6, 2008, Watson achieved his first triple-double against the Sacramento Kings. A triple-double means a player gets double-digit numbers in three different stats in one game. Watson had 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in that game. This was the first triple-double for Seattle since 2004.
After leaving the Thunder in 2009, he signed with the Indiana Pacers. Later, he joined the Utah Jazz in 2010. In 2013, he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Watson's last NBA game was on May 12, 2014, during the playoffs. He played for the Trail Blazers against the San Antonio Spurs. He retired as a player on October 2, 2014, after a 13-year career.
Coaching Career Highlights
After retiring as a player, Watson became an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs in the NBA D-League in October 2014. He then joined the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach in July 2015.
In February 2016, the Suns made Watson their interim head coach. He got his first win as a head coach on February 27, 2016, against the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished that season with an 8–15 record.
In April 2016, the Suns officially hired Watson as their full-time head coach. He was one of the youngest head coaches in the NBA at 36 years old. He was also the first former UCLA Bruins player to become an NBA head coach. Watson focused on defense first for his team.
The Suns started the 2017–18 season with three losses. Because of this, Watson was fired on October 22, 2017.
After leaving the Suns, Watson worked with the Junior Basketball Association in 2018. From 2019 to 2021, he was a studio analyst for Pac-12 Network and NBA TV. On August 2, 2021, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. As of September 17, 2024, Watson is an assistant coach for the San Diego Toreros.
Personal Life and Community Work
Earl Watson's father is African-American, and his mother is Mexican-American. This heritage meant he could have played for the Mexico national basketball team. He has four brothers and one sister.
A sad event in his family, the passing of his brother Dwayne, greatly influenced Earl's decision to become a basketball coach. He wanted to make a positive impact.
Watson is very involved in his community. He founded an organization called "Emagine" to help young people in his hometown of Kansas City, Kansas. He also started the Earl Watson Early Childhood Center, a preschool in Kansas City.
He is a supporter of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) programs, which help young athletes develop. He even co-owns an AAU program called Earl Watson Elite. He believes these programs are important for helping young players get scholarships and succeed.
Watson has received several awards for his leadership and community work, including:
- 2019 UCLA Latino Alumnus of the Year
- 2017 Vanguard Award from NAHREP (National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professions)
- Roberto Clemente Lifetime Achievement Award from NCLR (National Council of La Raza)
- 2006 Reasons to Believe Award
He married actress Jennifer Freeman in 2009, and they have a daughter named Isabella Amora Watson. They separated in 2011. In 2018, Watson became engaged to Fox Sports 1 personality Joy Taylor.
See also
In Spanish: Earl Watson para niños
