Sonics legend Slick Watts dies at 73

Slick Watts, the baldheaded point guard known for his colorful headbands as a player and his role as an ambassador of Seattle basketball following the conclusion of his NBA career, died Saturday morning at the age of 73.

Watts was a generational figure in the Seattle hoops scene, first as a starter for the SuperSonics in the mid-1970s as a young guard from Mississippi and then becoming one of the faces of the basketball scene in the region once his career ended.

Watts had been dealing with health issues for several years following a major stroke suffered in 2021. Watts needed nearly constant assistance following the stroke, often from his son Donald, a former star at the University of Washington.

Slick Watts’ grandson, Isaiah Watts, is a current guard for Washington State.

Watts’ passing on Saturday came on the same day that many former teammates and members of the Seattle basketball community were gathering for a celebration in honor of Gus Williams, who passed away in January.

Two iconic figures integral to the story of Seattle basketball and the SuperSonics gone within a matter of weeks.

“You did so much for so many of us. It was an honor call you pops,” Donald wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday.

“I pray every time they see me they see you. Love you ... rest in paradise papa,” Isaiah wrote on X.

Known for his upbeat smile and approachable demeanor, Watts ingrained himself in the Seattle community after his NBA career came to an end. He taught physical education in the Seattle School District, including a nearly 20-year stint at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in the Rainier Valley before retiring in 2017. He coached hoops, started a foundation and ran a basketball academy with Donald.

And anytime there was a Sonics-related event, Slick was determined to be there.

“He always wore his green and gold proudly,” former Sonic James Donaldson said. “He epitomized the Seattle SuperSonics.”

Watts was named to the Sonics’ 40th anniversary team before the team was moved to Oklahoma City. He was such a Seattle mainstay, the Blue Scholars, a local hip-hop group, named a song after him.

Not Kemp. Not Payton. Not Downtown Freddie or Jack.

But Slick.

“For a song about how much the Sonics meant to the city’s identity,” MC Geologic told The Times in 2017, “I thought he embodied that the most of all the former players.”

Born July 21, 1951, Donald “Slick” Watts was raised in Rolling Fork, Miss. His recognizable bald head started at the age of 13 after a football injury damaged his scalp and led to his hair growing in odd patches. So Slick decided it was time to shave it all — in perpetuity.

He eventually found a chance to play college hoops at tiny Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. Not only was it the place where his game thrived, but his coach Bob Hopkins was the cousin of then SuperSonics coach Bill Russell.

That connection led to Watts getting a tryout chance with the Sonics before the 1973 season. His hustle and showmanship on the floor endeared Watts to fans and led Russell to sign him as an undrafted rookie. Watts’ first contract was $19,000 and Russell was quoted as saying, “I don’t know why I kept him.”

Watts almost immediately became a crowd favorite when he debuted with the Sonics in 1973. He spent 4 1/2 seasons with the Sonics before being traded to the New Orleans Jazz midway through the 1977-78 season. He finished his career a year later playing for the Houston Rockets.

But he made a connection with the city, the fans, the community during his stint playing for the Sonics. Whether it was his style of play or broadcaster Bob Blackburn’s narration of his game, Watts created an immediate and forever lasting relationship with Seattle.

He led the NBA in assists and steals during the 1975-76 season, one of five players in league history to accomplish that feat. He played hard. He played fast. He played as someone who loved the game.

The only item missing from his Sonics resume was being traded the year the team made the first of its consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. Watts never got to experience the conclusion to the team he helped create when the Sonics won their only NBA title in 1979.

But Seattle would be his forever home. It’s where Donald and Isaiah were born and raised. It’s where Slick decided his post-NBA career path would involve education. It was where anytime there was a game, event, fundraiser or rally centering on the Sonics, Slick was almost always going to be there.

“Rest in Paradise to a Seattle icon,” former UW standout and longtime NBA center/forward Spencer Hawes wrote on X. “Thank you for all you did to improve our community. There was no one like Slick, you will be missed and your legacy will endure here forever.”

He was often courtside for big games involving the Storm and front-and-center when Donald was on the floor either as a purple Kang at Lake Washington or when he moved across the lake to UW.

“He was such a personality. Always upbeat. Always happy to lend a helping hand, to give you words of encouragement, to befriend just about anybody he came across,” Donaldson said.

The Watts name continues to be part of basketball in the region with the next generation. Isaiah just completed his second season playing at Washington State and his granddaughter Jadyn played the last two seasons at Western Washington.

“We are saddened by the passing of Sonics icon Slick Watts,” the Storm organization wrote in a statement. “Slick was a champion for the Storm and a beloved member of the Seattle community.”