TTM Stats
- Sent: 12/24/2020 | Received: 1/2/2021 | 8 Days
- ’77 Topps
- Address: Home (address from Sports Card Forum)
The Story of the Autograph
Don “Slick” Watts is a former guard in the NBA. He played from 1973 to 1979 with the Seattle SuperSonics, New Orleans Jazz and Houston Rockets. He also played with the Anchorage Northern Knights before retiring.
Watts was born and raised in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. He went to Xavier University of Louisiana where he helped the team to a lot of success in the 1972 and 1973 NAIA tournaments. After college he went undrafted but his former coach was a cousin of Bill Russell who coached and managed the SuperSonics at the time. They gave him a try out and signed him as a free agent.
After a couple years Watts would be the starter at point guard. In the 1975-76 season he led the NBA in assists and assists per game, steals and steals per game, and made the NBA All-Defensive First-Team. He was the first player to lead the league in assists and steals in the same season. He also won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award that season. He continued his productivity into the next season.
1977 brought a coaching change that saw him reunited with his college coach Bob Hopkins. But after starting 5-17, Hopkins was fired and in came Lenny Wilkens who played Dennis Johnson over Watts. Eventually Watts was traded to New Orleans. Just a couple years later he retired due to an injury.
After basketball he was a PE teacher at an elementary school (which he would do for almost 20 years) and a high school basketball coach. He got his name slick because of he shaved his head and was one of the first players to do so. He also loved to wear a headband that was a bit tilted.
The Score on Slick Watts – 5.5
I really wish that I had more old basketball cards. There are some great designs and the few I have signed are pretty cool. This one from Slick is a bit hard to see because of how busy the card is. I also don’t think it helps that he signed it in red. But I will say it’s always cool to get an alternate color of marker from the standard from time to time. I should also note that I got this back in January which was prior to the stroke he suffered in April 2021. I’m not sure of Slick’s signing status, but I sure hope he is OK. He seems like a guy who did some great work in the community while he played and then later teaching.
Thanks Mr. Watts! I’m giving this return a 5.5.
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Information gathered using Wikipedia and Basketball Reference.