Peyton Watson

Peyton Tyler Watson, an American professional basketball player presently signed to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), was born on 11th September 2002. Back in his high school years, Watson was a celebrated McDonald’s All-American player. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play one season of collegiate basketball before transitioning to a professional career with his selection in the 2022 NBA draft as a first-round 30th overall pick.

Watson’s journey began at the Long Beach Polytechnic High School, located in Long Beach, California. He joined the varsity basketball team as a freshman and initially started as a bench player before establishing himself as the team lead in his junior year. His exceptional performance saw him average 23.2 points and eight rebounds per game and helped him secure the title of Moore League Most Valuable Player (MVP). Owing to his outstanding performance, Watson was selected into the rosters for the highly coveted McDonald’s All-American, the Jordan Brand Classic, and the Nike Hoop Summit games.

As one of the best upcoming small forwards and the highest-ranked player from the state of California in the 2021 recruiting class, Watson was a five-star recruit, held in high regard by basketball enthusiasts and critics alike. Watson, on July 27, 2020, chose to play college basketball at UCLA. His choice followed offers from competitive programs like Arizona, Gonzaga, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. Watson made it clear to the Bruins coaching staff about his plans to move to the NBA after a single season of playing college basketball.

Watson’s freshman year at UCLA during 2021-22 was marked by some struggles as he arrived out of shape due to the disruption of his senior season in high school by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Watson became a part of the proven Bruins team that had already demonstrated its prowess the previous year by reaching the NCAA tournament’s Final Four. His defensive capabilities surpassed his offensive strategies, and he earned the honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team averaging 3.3 points, and 2.9 rebounds per game with just 32.2% of field goals and 22.6% of 3-pointers. He played inconsistently, only logging more than 10 minutes in two out of the final seven games of his season. His decision to leave college and pursue professional basketball led him to declare for the highly competitive NBA draft.

Chosen 30th overall in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft, Watson was initially selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder. An immediate trade, however, sent him to the Denver Nuggets alongside two future second-round picks for JaMychal Green and a protected 2027 first-round draft pick. Watson, with his impeccable wingspan, was expected to be a long-term nurtured project within the Denver Nuggets and was projected to spend some developing time with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. His first season with the Denver Nuggets ended on a high note with the team’s victory over the Miami Heat, helping them secure the NBA Championship title.

Watson has also earned international acclaim by representing the United States at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup held in Latvia, where his contribution across multiple games, averaging four points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists helped secure a gold medal for his team.

Off the court, Peyton is the son of Julio Watson, a medical device representative, and a mother who works as an event planner. He comes from an athletic family with a younger brother, Christian, who plays basketball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and a younger sister named Jolie Grace.