Donald Earl "Slick" Watts (July 22, 1951 – March 15, 2025) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (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.
For the 197172 season, Watts and Seals led the Gold Rush 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. However, Watts' college coach at Xavier University, Bob Hopkins, was a cousin of NBA legend Bill Russell, who at the time was the coach and general manager for the Seattle SuperSonics.
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. 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.
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. He was the first player to lead the NBA in assists and steals in the same season. 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.
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. 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.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Seattle
| 62 || – || 23.0 || .388 || – || .645 || 2.9 || 5.7 || 1.9 || 0.2 || 8.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Seattle
| 82 || – || 25.1 || .421 || – || .608 || 3.2 || 6.1 || 2.3 || 0.1 || 6.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Seattle
| 82 || – || 33.9 || .427 || – || .578 || 4.5 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| 8.1* ||style="background:#cfecec;"| 3.2* || 0.2 || 13.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Seattle
| 79 || – || 33.3 || .422 || – || .587 || 3.9 || 8.0 || 2.7 || 0.3 || 13.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Seattle
| 32 || – || 25.3 || .404 || – || .566 || 2.5 || 4.2 || 1.7 || 0.4 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|New Orleans
| 39 || – || 19.9 || .381 || – || .602 || 2.5 || 4.1 || 1.4 || 0.4 || 7.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Houston
| 61 || – || 17.1 || .405 || – || .612 || 1.7 || 4.0 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 3.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
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 died on March 15, 2025, at the age of 73.
See also
- List of NBA single-game steals leaders
- List of NBA single-season steals per game leaders