Nate Watson
American basketball player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Junathaen D. "Nate" Watson Jr. (born October 19, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Panionios of the Greek Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Providence Friars.
| No. 0 – Panionios | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | |||||||||||
| League | Greek Basketball League | |||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
| Born | October 19, 1998 Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | |||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||
| High school |
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| College | Providence (2017–2022) | |||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted | |||||||||||
| Playing career | 2022–present | |||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Nymburk | |||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | FMP | |||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Karditsa | |||||||||||
| 2025 | Zaragoza | |||||||||||
| 2025–present | Panionios | |||||||||||
| Career highlights | ||||||||||||
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Medals
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High school career
Watson played basketball for Capitol Christian Academy in Upper Marlboro, Maryland before moving to Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. His transfer was hindered by a financial dispute involving his former school, causing him to miss three days of school.[1] At Bishop O'Connell, Watson was a two-time First Team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference selection.[2] He competed for DC Premier on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[3] A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Providence over offers from Maryland, NC State and Miami (Florida).[4]
College career
As a freshman at Providence, Watson averaged 6.8 points and 1.9 rebounds per game and was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team.[5] In his sophomore season, he averaged 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.[6] He missed the beginning of his junior season with a knee injury, averaging nine points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[7] Watson assumed a leading role in his senior season.[8] On February 6, 2021, he recorded a career-high 30 points and eight rebounds in a 92–81 loss to St. John's.[9] As a senior, Watson averaged 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, earning Second Team All-Big East honors. He opted to return to Providence for a fifth season, using an extra year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] Watson was again named to the Second Team All-Big East.[11]
Professional career
ERA Basketball Nymburk (2022–2023)
On August 3, 2022, he signed with ERA Nymburk of the Czech National Basketball League.[12]
AS Karditsa Iaponiki (2024–2025)
On June 26, 2024, Watson signed with Greek club Karditsa.[13] On December 3, 2024, Watson received a Hoops Agents Player of the Week award for Round 8. He had a game-high 22 points and 9 rebounds.[14]
Casademont Zaragoza (2025)
On February 10, 2025, Watson signed with Basket Zaragoza of the Liga ACB until 2027. He was brought in the club as a replacement for Jilson Bango.[15]
Panionios (2025–present)
On August 6, 2025, Watson joined Panionios of the Greek Basket League, on loan from Zaragoza.[16]
National team career
Watson represented the United States at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru, helping his team win the bronze medal.[17]
Career statistics
| 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 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Providence | 35 | 9 | 13.8 | .595 | – | .696 | 1.9 | .1 | .2 | .7 | 6.8 |
| 2018–19 | Providence | 34 | 20 | 23.5 | .590 | .000 | .652 | 5.2 | .4 | .3 | .7 | 11.7 |
| 2019–20 | Providence | 27 | 13 | 18.9 | .511 | – | .565 | 4.6 | .5 | .6 | .6 | 9.0 |
| 2020–21 | Providence | 26 | 26 | 32.3 | .602 | – | .627 | 6.7 | .7 | .3 | 1.0 | 16.9 |
| 2021–22 | Providence | 33 | 33 | 28.0 | .548 | – | .583 | 5.2 | .5 | .3 | .7 | 13.3 |
| Career | 155 | 101 | 22.9 | .570 | .000 | .623 | 4.6 | .4 | .3 | .7 | 11.3 | |