Charles “CJ” Watson
Basketball
Served as envoy
- 2012 – Senegal
2010-11 (Chicago): He appeared in all 82 regular season games (one start) and averaged 4.9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 rpg, 0.67 spg, 13.3 mpg and shot .371 from the field, .393 from behind the arc and .742 from the line … led the Bulls in scoring once and in assists three times … posted six games with 10-plus points scored, including one game with 33 points … finished with eight points, a team-high six assists and four boards in 18:30 against NJ (04/13) … scored 13 points and added four assists at MIN (03/30) … posted eight points, six assists and three boards at ATL (03/22) … tallied 11 points and seven assists versus SAC (03/21) … posted 16 points, eight assists and five boards versus UTH (03/12) … scored 14 points in 18:50 versus PHI (12/21) … in his lone start of the year at DEN (11/26), he posted a game-high 33 points … scored 13 points at DAL (11/19) … 2011 Playoffs: Played in 16 games and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 rpg, 8.5 mpg, .339 shooting from the field, .200 from behind the arc and .909 from the line.
Career: Has appeared in 256 NBA games (34 starts) and owns career averages of 7.5 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.9 rpg, 1.05 spg, 20.0 mpg and shot .437 from the field, .362 from behind the arc and .807 from the line … has appeared in 16 postseason games and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 rpg, 8.5 mpg, .339 shooting from the field, .200 from behind the arc and .909 from the line … 2009-10 (Golden State): Appeared in 65 games (15 starts), and averaged 10.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 rpg and 1.58 spg … averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes while shooting a career-high .468 from the field … made 15 starts, and posted 15.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.8 rpg, and 2.13 spg in 38.8 mpg … scored a career-high 40 points versus SAC (02/17) … posted the highest assist-to-turnover ratio on the team with 2.5 assists per turnover … recorded multiple steals on 29 occasions, including a career-high seven thefts versus BOS (12/28) … scored 20-plus points in three straight games (02/16-02/19), the first time in his career he had accomplished this run … scored in double-figures 32 times, including 20-plus points seven times, and one game with 40 points … missed 14 games due to injury/illness (six games with fractured ribs, five games with the flu and four games with a laceration on his right hand) … registered two DNP-CDs … 2008-09 (Golden State): Appeared in 77 games (18 starts), and tallied 9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.7 apg in 24.5 mpg … started 18 games and averaged 14.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 4.1 apg in 36.2 mpg … played 25-plus minutes in 36 games, where he averaged 13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 3.8 apg in those contests … scored a then career-high 38 points and shot 16-of-16 from the free throw line in a win at UTH (04/11), marking the most points ever scored in an NBA game by a former D-League player … reached double-figures in scoring 35 times, with four games with 20-plus points and one contest with 30-plus points … two-plus steals 24 times … missed two games due to injury and one due to personal reasons … posted two DNP-CDs … 2007-08 (Golden State/Rio Grande Valley Vipers): Appeared in 32 games with Golden State, and posted 3.7 ppg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 rpg and 9.5 mpg … in five games where he received 20-plus minutes, he averaged 10.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.40 spg … reached double-figures in scoring four times … recorded 15 DNP-CDs … in 16 games with Rio Grande (NBDL), he averaged 26.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.3 apg and 1.38 spg in 38.1 mpg … he shot .506 (128-253 FG) from the field, .400 (18-45 3FGM) from three-point range and .899 (149-166 FT) from the free throw line … at the time of his call-up, he ranked third in the D-League in scoring, having scored 20-or-more points 14 times, with six 30-plus efforts and one 40-point performance, and he also ranked fifth in assists … he was named the NBA Development League Player of the Month for December … 2006-07 (Bipop-Carire Reggie Emilia, Italy A-1/PAOK Thessaloniki, Greek League): Spent the season in Europe, splitting time between Italy and Greece … while in Italy, he played 17 games for Bipop-Carire Reggie Emilia, and posted 8.5 ppg and 2.3 rpg … in five contests with PAOK Thessaloniki, he averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.2 apg.
Career Transactions: Went undrafted following his senior season at Tennessee in the 2006 NBA Draft … signed by Golden State as a free-agent call-up from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Developmental League (01/08/08) … re-signed by Golden State as a restricted free agent (09/09/09) … traded to Chicago from Golden State in exchange for a 2011 second round draft pick (07/22/10).
College Career: Played four seasons at the University of Tennessee … finished his collegiate career in Knoxville as the 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) … started 118 of his 119 career games … earned Second Team All-SEC honors from The Associated Press and the SEC coaches following his senior year … following his collegiate career, he was named to the Volunteers’ All-Century Basketball Team.
Personal: Full name is Charles Akeem Watson, Jr. … is the son of Charles and Cathy Watson … he has one brother, Kashif Watson, and one sister, Vonyetta Brooks … received the nickname C.J. from his father when he was a young child … was an active participant in the Warriors community relations efforts … he distributed free tickets to the team’s preseason games to fans at the City Center Bart Station … he teamed with Southwest Airlines to hold the C.J. Watson Essay Contest during the 2008-09 season, in which two fifth graders from W.P. Williams Elementary School in Watson’s hometown of Las Vegas were rewarded for their winning essays about an event in black history that they felt most changed or influenced America’s way of life with an all-expenses paid trip to Oakland to see a Warriors game … in previous seasons, he visited a local Boys & Girls Club, made an appearance at a session of Warriors Basketball Camp and took part in the Oracle Basketball Clinic at the Warriors Practice Facility … he has participated in Golden State’s Hoops For Hope program … he majored in psychology at Tennessee … he was a two-time Nevada state Player of the Year in high school and he led his high school to a pair of state championships … he attended the same high school as NBA guard Marcus Banks and NFL running back Steven Jackson … he enjoys reading, yoga, golf, bowling and playing Nintendo Wii in his spare time … he collects basketball cards and sneakers … he lists his parents and grandparents as the people he admires most … he is a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Yankees … he has a daughter, Ayanna Watson (born 10/05/07).