| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1990-07-01)July 1, 1990 (age 35) Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
| Listed weight | 102 kg (225 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jordan (Durham, North Carolina) |
| College | North Carolina (2008–2012) |
| NBA draft | 2012:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2013–present |
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| Career history | |
| 2013 | Rockhampton Rockets |
| 2014 | Mineros de Caborca |
| 2014–2015 | Takamatsu Five Arrows |
| 2015 | Defensor Sporting |
| 2016 | Vaqueros de Agua Prieta |
| 2016–2017 | New Heroes Den Bosch |
| 2017–2018 | Czarni Słupsk |
| 2018 | Al Gharafa Doha |
| 2018 | Pieno žvaigždės |
| 2018–2019 | Fribourg Olympic |
| 2019 | Wilki Morskie Szczecin |
| 2019 | Alaska Aces |
| 2019–2020 | MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza |
| 2021 | Donar |
| 2022–2023 | Chernomorets Burgas |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Justin Lee Watts (born July 1, 1990) is an American professionalbasketball player who last played forChernomorets Burgas of the BulgarianNational Basketball League. He playedcollege basketball for theUniversity of North Carolina, where he won anNCAA Championship as a freshman in 2009. He turned pro in 2013 and won aQBL championship with theRockhampton Rockets. He went on to play with clubs in Mexico, Japan, Uruguay, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Lithuania, Switzerland and the Philippines.
Watts attendedCharles E. Jordan High School inDurham, North Carolina. He was a three-year starter for Coach Kim Annas and was in the Jordan program for four seasons. He was a leading scorer on all three of the varsity teams he played on, topped by a senior season in which he averaged 24.4 points and 8.7 rebounds.[1] Also an outstanding student, Watts was the Pac-6 Conference Player of the Year, the District 6 Player of the Year, and three-time all-conference selection and Jordan Most Valuable Player. He also made the all-tournament team at the GlaxoSmithKline Tournament in December 2007[2] and was named a second-team NCBCA All-State honoree in 2008.[3]
In April 2024, Watts was inducted into the Jordan High School Hall of Fame.[4]
On May 21, 2008, Watts signed aNational Letter of Intent to playcollege basketball for theNorth Carolina Tar Heels.[1][2]
As a freshman at UNC in 2008–09, Watts was a member of thenational championship team that were victorious in the2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He played in 27 games, including four of the six games in the NCAA Tournament, and scored the final two points againstMichigan State in the NCAA championship game in Detroit. He totalled 19 points and five assists during the season and had a season-high nine points and four rebounds in Maui againstChaminade.[5]
Watts had a subdued college career, as he finished his four-year stint with averages of 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.7 minutes over 122 games.[6] Throughout his time at UNC, Watts was co-captain on a team who were perennial finalists with multiple players every year being drafted to the NBA, and although his opportunities were limited playing alongside numerous NBA recruits, he still made an impact when he was on the court, as his versatility allowed him to play multiple positions from point guard to power forward.[7]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | North Carolina | 27 | 0 | 3.1 | .242 | .000 | .429 | .7 | .2 | .1 | .1 | .7 |
| 2009–10 | North Carolina | 23 | 2 | 6.2 | .405 | .444 | .429 | .8 | .8 | .2 | .2 | 1.7 |
| 2010–11 | North Carolina | 34 | 0 | 9.2 | .375 | .333 | .533 | 1.9 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 1.9 |
| 2011–12 | North Carolina | 38 | 1 | 7.2 | .422 | .167 | .368 | 1.3 | .2 | .3 | .1 | 1.2 |
| Career | 122 | 3 | 6.7 | .368 | .286 | .457 | 1.3 | .4 | .2 | .1 | 1.4 | |
In March 2013, Watts signed with theRockhampton Rockets for the2013 Queensland Basketball League season.[7] In his debut, he scored a season-high 28 points against theGladstone Port City Power.[8] He scored 20 points or more 13 times throughout the season,[9] and helped the Rockets finish the regular season in first place with a 14–2 record. The Rockets went on to advance to the QBL Grand Final, where they defeated theBrisbane Capitals 102–95 to win the championship behind an 18-point effort from Watts.[10] He appeared in all 18 games for the Rockets in 2013, averaging 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.[9]
After negotiations with the Rockhampton Rockets fell through in March 2014, Watts joined Mexican team Mineros de Caborca for the 2014CIBACOPA season.[11] In his debut, he scored a season-high 36 points againstZonkeys de Tijuana.[12] He scored 30 points or more five times throughout the season.[13] In 21 games, he averaged 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.[13][14]
On August 20, 2014, Watts signed with theTakamatsu Five Arrows for the 2014–15 Japanesebj league season.[15] He made his debut for the Five Arrows in their season opener on October 4, scoring 17 points in an 87–72 win overBambitious Nara.[16] On December 14, he had a season-best game with 29 points and 17 rebounds in a 107–77 loss to theAkita Northern Happinets.[17] On January 9, 2015, he was picked to compete in the 2015 bj league All-Star Game as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team.[18] Watts helped Takamatsu finish the regular season as the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 17–35 record. In their first-round playoff match-up with the first-seededKyoto Hannaryz, Takamatsu were defeated 2–0 despite an 18-point effort from Watts in Game 1.[19][20] Watts appeared in all 54 games for Takamatsu in 2014–15, averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
On August 22, 2015, Watts signed withDefensor Sporting for the 2015–16LUB season.[21] He sustained an injury on November 3, which resulted in him being replaced in the line-up by Robert Hornsby on November 8.[22] In seven games for Defensor, Watts averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.[23]
In March 2016, Watts had a four-game stint withCIBACOPA team Vaqueros de Agua Prieta, averaging 11.8 points per game.[14]
On October 26, 2016, Watts signed withNew Heroes Den Bosch of theDutch Basketball League.[24] Den Bosch finished the 2016–17 regular season in fourth place with a 14–14 record, and made it through to the semi-finals, where they were defeated 4–0 by the first-seededDonar. In 25 games for Den Bosch, Watts averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
On August 1, 2017, Watts signed with Polish teamCzarni Słupsk for the2017–18 PLK season.[25] He left the team on January 10, 2018.[26] In 13 games, he averaged 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.[26]
In February 2018, Watts joinedAl Gharafa Doha of theQatari Basketball League.[27]
In August 2018, Watts signed withPieno žvaigždės of theLithuanian Basketball League.[28] He was released by the team on November 12.[29][30] In 10 games, he averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
On November 13, 2018, Watts signed with Swiss teamFribourg Olympic Basket.[31] In nineBCL games, he averaged 6.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game. He also averaged 13.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in fourSBL games.
On February 25, 2019, Watts signed withWilki Morskie Szczecin of thePolish Basketball League, returning to the country for a second stint.[32][33] In 14 games, he averaged 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
On September 10, 2019, Watts signed with theAlaska Aces as the team's import for the2019 PBA Governors' Cup.[34] However, due to a calf injury, he was released after two games.[35][36][37] He had 62 points and 26 rebounds over his two games.[38]
On December 17, 2019, Watts signed withMKS Dąbrowa Górnicza of thePolish Basketball League, returning to the country for a third stint.[39] In nine games, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
On July 15, 2020, Watts signed withDonar of theDutch Basketball League.[40] After encountering passport problems due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Watts was replaced on the roster byHenry Caruso before the preseason.[41] He later joined Donar on January 11, 2021.[42] In 19 games, he averaged 7.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
In September 2022, Watts signed withChernomorets Burgas of the BulgarianNational Basketball League.[43] After appearing in four games, he missed a month of action due to a toe injury.[44] He parted ways with the team in January 2023 after averaging 11 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in eight games.[45]
Watts is the son of Gregory and Linda Watts. His cousin,Hank Poteat, played ten NFL seasons with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, New England, the New York Jets, and the Cleveland Browns.[5]