Seattle Sonics legend Slick Watts dies at 73

SEATTLE — Slick Watts, one of the most recognizable figures in the history of Seattle basketball, has died at the age of 73.

Watts played six seasons in the NBA, including the first four and a half with the Seattle SuperSonics, who he signed with as a free agent out of Xavier University of Louisiana.

Despite going undrafted in 1973, the 6-foot-1 Watts was immediately a key member of the Sonics who established himself as a premier defensive point guard and playmaker. He finished third in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting after averaging eight points, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game in 62 games.

In his third season, Watts started all 82 games for the Sonics and led the NBA with both 8.1 assists per game and 3.2 steals per game. He also averaged a career-high 13 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in that 1975-76 campaign.

Watts was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team in 1976, the first Sonics player to do so, and the same year also was the second ever winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, which is given annually to an NBA player, coach or staff member who shows “outstanding service and dedication to the community.”

Watts’ arrival in the Emerald City coincided with the Sonics’ first period of contention in the league. Under head coach Bill Russell, Seattle made its inaugural trip to the postseason in 1974-75 and reached the Western Conference semifinals both that season and the next.

Watts was traded by Seattle to the New Orleans Jazz during the 1977-78 season, and he moved on to the Houston Rockets the next season, which was his last.

Though the Rolling Fork, Miss., native’s legal first name was Donald, he was known as Slick due to his bald head, which he adorned with signature headbands, a look that was ahead of its time in the 1970s.

Watts called the Seattle area home for the rest of his life, becoming a physical education teacher and basketball coach after his playing career. He dealt with health problems in recent years, and suffered a strike in 2021 before his 70th birthday.

Watts remained to be an integral part of the community in Seattle, and his name was even used as a song title by Seattle hip-hop duo Blue Scholars.

The Watts family has long been a major part of the Seattle basketball community. His son Donald Watts was a star guard at Lake Washington High School and then in college for the UW Huskies (1995-99), his grandson Isaiah Watts is currently a guard for the WSU Cougars, and his granddaughter Jadyn Watts is a forward for the Western Washington Vikings.

Slick Watts’ death comes just two months after his former Seattle Sonics teammate Gus Williams died at the age of 71.

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