Chris Watson (כריס ווטסון; born July 16, 1975) is an
American–Israeli
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former basketball player, who has played on the Israel national basketball team, and whose positions have been power forward and center. He is 6' 7" (200 cm) tall.
He attended Niagara University, where he led the Conference in 2-point field goals (165) in 1995–1996. He was inducted into the Niagara University Hall of Fame.
Watson has played professional basketball for two decades. He has played primarily in Israel (with Hapoel Tel Aviv,
Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli ...
,
Ironi Ramat Gan
Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan ( he, מכבי עירוני רמת גן, formerly Ironi Ramat Gan) is a male basketball club based in Ramat Gan in central Israel. The team plays in Liga Leumit, the second division in Israeli basketball. It plays at the Sha ...
Ironi Ashkelon
Elitzur Ashkelon ( he, אליצור אשקלון) was a professional basketball team based in Ashkelon in south-west Israel. The team reached the quarterfinals of the EuroCup Challenge in 2006Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli ...
in 2007–2008, and again in 2008–2009. He was selected to the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...
White Plains, New York
(Always Faithful)
, image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png
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, subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State
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. Watson attended
White Plains High School
White Plains Senior High School is a high school in the White Plains Public Schools system of White Plains, New York, United States. It was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a School of Excellence in 1986–1987. The school's code ...
, and then transferred to
Archbishop Stepinac High School
Archbishop Stepinac High School is an American all-boys' Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York.
It was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the 2009–2010 school year, when it became independent of th ...
('93). He married an Israeli woman, Roni, and in 2003 he became an
Israeli citizen
Israeli citizenship law details the conditions by which a person holds citizenship of Israel. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the 1950 Law of Return and 1952 Citizenship Law.
Every Jew in the world has ...
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...
. He led the team in scoring in his final three seasons, and was third in the Conference in scoring in both his junior (16.8 points per game) and senior (17.4 points per game, as he led the Conference with a .568
field goal percentage
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the genera ...
) seasons. He also led the Conference in 2-point field goals (165) in 1995–1996, was second in 2-point field goals (167) in 1996-1997 His 16 field goals in a game against Siena on February 19, 1996, are tied for the most ever in a Conference game. He earned All-MAAC Tournament honors in both 1996 and 1997. He earned All-MAAC Second Team honors during the 1994–95 season, and was All-MAAC First Team in the 1995–96 season.
He finished his college career with 1,711 career points, fourth at the time in Niagara history. He graduated in 1996. In 2016 he was inducted into the Niagara University Hall of Fame.
Professional basketball
Watson has played professional basketball for two decades. He has played in Belgium (
Leuven Bears
Leuven Bears, for sponsorship reasons also called Stella Artois Leuven Bears, is a Belgian professional basketball club from Leuven. The club competes in the BNXT League, the highest tier in Belgian basketball.
History
The team has played in the ...
), Sweden, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Israel ( Hapoel Tel Aviv,
Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli ...
,
Ironi Ramat Gan
Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan ( he, מכבי עירוני רמת גן, formerly Ironi Ramat Gan) is a male basketball club based in Ramat Gan in central Israel. The team plays in Liga Leumit, the second division in Israeli basketball. It plays at the Sha ...
Ironi Ashkelon
Elitzur Ashkelon ( he, אליצור אשקלון) was a professional basketball team based in Ashkelon in south-west Israel. The team reached the quarterfinals of the EuroCup Challenge in 2006
He played two seasons in Uruguay where he was the second-leading scorer of the Uruguayan League, two seasons in Sweden ( KFUM Jamtland), and half a season in England.
Coming to Israel, he played in
Hadera
Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nb ...
and then for Hapoel Tel Aviv. The following season Watson played for Migdal Ha'emek.
Watson won the Israeli Championship with
Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli ...
in 2007–2008, and again in 2008–2009. He represented Israel at the Qualifications to European Championships 2009.
He played for
Ironi Ramat Gan
Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan ( he, מכבי עירוני רמת גן, formerly Ironi Ramat Gan) is a male basketball club based in Ramat Gan in central Israel. The team plays in Liga Leumit, the second division in Israeli basketball. It plays at the Sha ...
in the National League in 2009–2010. Watson was selected to the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...
All-Star Game in 2011.
In 2013-14 Watson played for Ironi Kiryat Ata. He played for
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The c ...