Shaving his head at 13 after a football injury left his hair growing in patches, Watts turned the look and an off-center headband into one of the NBA's most recognizable styles. Undrafted out of Xavier of Louisiana, he made Seattle as a free agent under Bill Russell and in 1975-76 became the first player ever to lead the league in both assists and steals, then was traded midseason to the New Orleans Jazz in 1978.
After basketball he taught physical education in Seattle elementary schools for nearly 20 years, retiring in 2017, and stayed a fixture at Sonics and Storm games. His sons Tony and Donald played college ball. Watts dealt with sarcoidosis and died in March 2025 at 73.
HOW HE CAME & WENTSeattle traded him to New Orleans in January 1978 in a three-team deal, and eight months later the Jazz sent him to Houston for the first-round pick that became Danny Schayes.
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| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | NOJ | 39 | 19.9 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | .381 | — | .602 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 1 SEASON | 39 | 19.9 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | .381 | — | .602 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗