By Joe Bob Gandy
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Donald Earl “Slick” Watts (July 22, 1951 – March 15, 2025) was an American profeasional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 1976, he became the first player to lead the league in both assists and steals.
He picked up the nickname “Slick” because he was one of the first players to shave his head, unusual at the time. He was also known for wearing his headband off-center. Despite a somewhat short tenure on the SuperSonics, Watts was viewed as one of Seattle’s more recognizable figures across sports.
In April 2021, three months before his 70th birthday, Watts suffered a major stroke. In March 2025, Slick died at the age of 73.
Watts was not selected by any team in the 1973 NBA draft, though he was selected by the Memphis Tams in the second round of the 1973 ABA supplemental draft. Despite that, his former coach at Xavier University, Bob Hopkins, was a cousin of Bill Russell, who was the coach and general manager for the Seattle SuperSonics. Russell gave Watts a tryout and is noted for saying that, “Watts was the best-looking guard in camp and oftentimes embarrassed the other players.” Watts signed with the SuperSonics as a rookie free agent.
After making the roster for the 1973–74 season as a reserve, he played more frequently the following season. On February 21, 1975, Watts recorded his first career triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, along with adding 4 steals, in a 110–108 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Two days later, Watts recorded a career-high 9 steals, while also scoring 13 points and adding 14 assists, during a 114–100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He became a starter for the 1975–76 season. That season, he led the NBA in total assists, assists per game, total steals, steals per game, and made the NBA All-Defense First-Team. He was the first player to lead the NBA in assists and steals in the same season.
In 1976, Watts 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.
