Earl Watson played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a four-year starter and named all-conference as a senior in the Pac-10.
22 Facts About Earl Watson
2.
Earl Watson played 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams before becoming a coach in 2014.
3.
Earl Watson was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2016 to 2017.
4.
Earl Watson is a graduate of Washington High School in Kansas City, Kansas.
5.
Earl Watson was a starter in college at UCLA, at one point playing alongside future NBA All-Star Baron Davis.
6.
Earl Watson was selected in the second round by the SuperSonics in the 2001 NBA draft.
7.
On February 6,2008, Earl Watson recorded his first-ever triple-double in a game against the Sacramento Kings.
8.
Earl Watson logged 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 32 minutes.
9.
On July 17,2009, Earl Watson was waived by the Thunder.
10.
Earl Watson signed a one-year deal with the Indiana Pacers on July 28,2009.
11.
Earl Watson signed with the Utah Jazz on September 26,2010.
12.
On October 2,2014, Earl Watson was hired as an assistant coach by the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, effectively ending his 13-year playing career.
13.
Earl Watson joined the Phoenix Suns as their new assistant coach on July 30,2015.
14.
At the time of his promotion to permanent head coach, Earl Watson was the second-youngest head coach in the NBA, being 36 when he first started coaching.
15.
Earl Watson became the first former UCLA Bruins player to become a head coach in the NBA, as well as the first NBA head coach of Hispanic descent.
16.
Earl Watson is involved with the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Arizona.
17.
That incident would be a major driving force for Earl Watson to take up coaching in basketball.
18.
Earl Watson founded the organization "Emagine" to positively impact the youth of his hometown Kansas City, Kansas.
19.
Earl Watson has stated he takes coaching inspiration from UCLA all-time great John Wooden.
20.
Earl Watson is considered a supporter of the Amateur Athletic Union programs, saying that the right program and right people involved can lead towards more positive experiences for the people involved.
21.
Earl Watson stated that he likely would have never gotten a scholarship for UCLA if he didn't have the AAU around.
22.
Earl Watson is part-owner of AAU program Earl Watson Elite.