Former Gonzaga stars Drew Timme, Anton Watson share special moment after NBA game

Timme and Watson swapped jerseys after Watson's Knicks took down Timme's Nets in their NBA regular season finale

Brooklyn Nets forward Drew Timme (26) is guarded by New York Knicks forward Kevin McCullar Jr. (9) during the second half at Barclays Center | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

From sharing a living space during their college days in Spokane to gracing the same hardwood floor in an NBA game, it's been quite the journey to the professional ranks for both Anton Watson and Drew Timme.

On Sunday, the former Gonzaga men's basketball stars had their paths cross yet again, as Watson and the New York Knicks took on Timme and the Brooklyn Nets in a cross-town rivalry matchup at the Barclays Center. Watson's Knicks wound up coming away victorious, but Timme was the standout between the two former Zags with 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes off the bench. Watson recorded just 1 minute off the bench in his ninth appearance for New York — the team that signed him to a two-way contract last month.

As the final buzzer sounded on a 113-105 win for the Knicks (51-31), Timme and Watson found each other on the court for one of the NBA's long-standing traditions: the jersey swap, a sign of respect and mutual admiration between players who have connections that typically go beyond their NBA ties.

Timme and Watson have essentially been linked through the game of basketball since they arrived at Gonzaga as freshmen for the 2019-2020 campaign. Over the next four years together, they helped guide the Zags to a national championship game, a pair of Sweet 16s and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2023, which ended up being Timme's final game in a Gonzaga uniform. Along with three All-America selections and two West Coast Conference Player of the Year awards, Timme finished his college career as Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer with 2,307 career points across 134 games played.

Zags jersey swap: Drew Timme & Anton Watson pic.twitter.com/MZiXNh069P

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 13, 2025

Watson stuck around in Spokane for one more season following Timme's departure for the pros. Over the course of his five years in college, Watson became the only player in Gonzaga history to tally over 1,400 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 215 steals in a career. His 21 steals in the NCAA Tournament are also a program record.

Watson was picked by the Boston Celtics with the 54th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He spent the majority of his first professional season with the team's G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, though the Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Washington) product never suited up with Boston in the regular season. Watson averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 37 appearances with Maine, before being scooped up by New York.

Meanwhile, Timme's path to Brooklyn has taken him all across the country, from coast-to-coast and even a few places in between. The 6-foot-10 Texan joined the NBA G League's Wisconsin Herd after going undrafted in 2023, though an injury midway through the season derailed Timme's chances of moving up to play on a main roster. He waited until the ensuing NBA Summer League gave him an opportunity to play for the Stockton Kings, who then traded Timme this past December to Brooklyn's G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

Timme signed a multi-year deal with Brooklyn on March 28. In his nine appearances with the team in the regular season, he averaged 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while logging 28.2 minutes per contest. He's also recorded three double-doubles in that span, including 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against the Atlanta Hawks on April 10.