Charles "C. J." Akeem Watson Jr. (born April 17, 1984) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

College career

Watson played college basketball for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

for four seasons. During his freshman season, he earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors. His best season came during his senior year in 2005–06, where he and fellow All-American

Chris Lofton Christopher Franklin Lofton (born March 27, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers. High school Chris Lof ...

led the Volunteers to a 22–8 record and a 12–4 record in SEC play. He averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds, and earned second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and the league coaches. He finished his collegiate career as Tennessee's second all-time leader in assists (577), second in steals (198), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.396), tied for eighth in three-point field goals (401), and 15th in scoring (1,424 points).

Professional career

European career (2006–2007)

Despite an excellent college career, Watson went undrafted in 2006 NBA draft. He then played briefly with

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

in 2006 NBA summer league before joining

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

team Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia. He averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17 games. He then moved on to join

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

A1 Ethniki The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

team

PAOK B.C. P.A.O.K. B.C. ( el, Κ.Α.Ε. Π.Α.Ο.Κ., Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessaloníkios Athlitikós Ómilos Konstantinopolitón'', "Pan-Thessalonikian Athletic Cl ...

, where he averaged 7.4 points and 2.2 assists in five games.

D-League career (2007–2008)

Watson returned to the states to revive his NBA career, participated in 2007 NBA summer league with the Spurs and later joined the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

' training camp. However, he once again failed to make the roster for the season. On November 1, 2007, he joined

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

and was drafted 5th overall by the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

. He averaged 26.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.38 steals in 38.1 minutes per game for the Vipers before signed by

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

on January 8, 2008. At the time of the call-up, Watson was the third-leading scorer in the D-League. He also became the 100th player to be called up by an NBA team in D-League history.WARRIORS: Warriors Sign Guard CJ Watson To 10-Day Contract
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Golden State Warriors (2008–2010)

On January 8, 2008,

signed Watson to a 10-day contract to be a backup point guard to All-Star

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in s ...

. He impressed Warriors coach

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

and subsequently earned a second 10-day contract. After two 10-day contracts, where he appeared in 8 games, averaging 5.4 points and 1.8 assists in 16.6 minutes, Watson was signed for the remainder of the season. On February 17, 2010, Watson scored a career-high 40 points against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

with 16-of-23 shooting.

Chicago Bulls (2010–2012)

On July 21, 2010, Watson was acquired in a sign and trade deal by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. On November 26, 2010, the Bulls' starting

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...

was out with a stiff neck. Watson started against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

and scored a season-high 33 points in a loss, while also shooting 50% from the field. On December 14, 2011, Watson changed his number from 32 to 7 because of Richard "Rip" Hamilton signing with the Bulls. On April 28, 2012, in the Bulls' first game of that year's playoffs, guard

suffered a

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

in his left knee. In his absence, Watson started the rest of the Bulls' playoff games. The Bulls lost in the first round to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. Watson averaged 7.3 points on 24% shooting in the series.

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2013)

On July 23, 2012, Watson signed with the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

. On February 13, 2013, he scored a season-high 25 points in the 119–108 win over the Denver Nuggets. His 25 points were the most he'd scored since November 2010, and his five three-pointers also set a career high. Watson averaged 6.8 points in 80 regular season games for the Nets as a backup point guard to

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A thre ...

. In the Nets' seven playoff games, he averaged 8.6 points per game.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2015)

On July 10, 2013, Watson signed with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. On April 13, 2014, he scored a season-high 20 points in the 102–97 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. In his first season with Indiana, Watson averaged 6.6 points in 63 regular season games as a backup point guard to George Hill. In 18 playoff games, Watson averaged 5.8 points per game.

Orlando Magic (2015–2017)

On July 9, 2015, Watson signed with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. On February 19, 2016, he played in his first game for the Magic since November 9, 2015 due to a left calf injury. On July 10, 2017, Watson was waived by the Magic.

Turkey (2018–2019)

In February 2018, Watson signed with

Uşak Sportif Uşak Sportif, also known as Uşak Üniversitesi Belediyespor, was a professional basketball team that is based in the city of Uşak, in Turkey. The team was founded in 2006. Their home arena was the Uşak Üniversitesi Sport Hall, which has a se ...

of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

Personal life

Watson majored in psychology at Tennessee and continued working toward his degree every summer after starting his professional basketball career. He completed his coursework in 2012. He has one brother, Kashif, who played college basketball for the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

, and one sister, Vonyetta.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 32 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .426 , , .346 , , .793 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 77 , , 18 , , 24.5 , , .457 , , .400 , , .870 , , 2.5 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 65 , , 15 , , 27.5 , , .468 , , .310 , , .771 , , 2.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 10.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 82 , , 1 , , 13.3 , , .371 , , .393 , , .740 , , 1.1 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 49 , , 25 , , 23.7 , , .368 , , .393 , , .808 , , 1.0 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 80 , , 8 , , 19.0 , , .418 , , .411 , , .780 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .2 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 63 , , 5 , , 18.9 , , .437 , , .366 , , .784 , , 1.6 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 57 , , 21 , , 24.9 , , .434 , , .400 , , .826 , , 2.9 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, 33 , , 2 , , 19.9 , , .343 , , .292 , , .872 , , 2.0 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 9 , , 16.3 , , .387 , , .305 , , .864 , , 1.4, , 1.8 , , .7 , , .0 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 600 , , 104 , , 20.2 , , .419 , , .373 , , .812 , , 1.9 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 7.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .339 , , .200 , , .909 , , .9 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 6 , , 5 , , 27.3 , , .241 , , .250 , , .750 , , 2.2 , , 5.5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 23.0 , , .436 , , .267 , , .667 , , 2.4 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .411 , , .400 , , .607 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .8 , , .1 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 48 , , 5 , , 16.7 , , .363 , , .314 , , .701 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 5.5

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, C. J. 1984 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball players from Nevada Big3 players Bishop Gorman High School alumni Brooklyn Nets players Chicago Bulls players Golden State Warriors players Indiana Pacers players Orlando Magic players Pallacanestro Reggiana players P.A.O.K. BC players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Sportspeople from Las Vegas Tennessee Volunteers basketball players Undrafted National Basketball Association players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players