The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.
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For this article, we continue with the 27th jersey number in the series, jersey No. 25, with 12 players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.
13 Nov 2001: Point guard Earl Watson #25 of the Seattle SuperSonics dribbles the ball during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The Suns edged the SuperSonics 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule/Getty Images
The sixth of those players did so in the Seattle SuperSonics era, guard alum Earl Watson. After ending his college career at UCLA, Watson was picked up with the 40th overall selection of the 2001 NBA draft by the SuperSonics.
The Kansas City, Kansas native would play the first season of his pro career with Seattle in the first of two stints with the team separated by campaigns with the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets, the second stint ending after the team had become the Oklahoma City Thunder when he signed with the Indiana Pacers in 2009.
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During his time suiting up for the Sonics/Thunder, Watson wore only jersey No. 25 and put up 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 25 – Earl Watson (2001-09)