Jelani Watson-Gayle

Jelani Watson-Gayle
No. 3 – Cherno More
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1998-09-09) 9 September 1998
London, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish / Jamaican
Listed height181 cm (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Listed weight86 kg (190 lb)[2]
Career information
High schoolWestminster Schools of Augusta
CollegeBenedict College Tigers 2017–2018
Miles College Golden Bears 2018–2021
Fresno Pacific Sunbirds 2021–2022
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Bristol Flyers
2023Winnipeg Sea Bears
2023–2024Brussels
2024–2025Slavia Praha
2025–presentCherno More Ticha

Jelani Watson-Gayle (born 9 September 1998) is a British-Jamaican professional basketball player who plays as a Point guard for Cherno More Ticha of the Bulgarian National Basketball League.

College Career

From 2017 to 2022Watson-Gayle played college basketball for the Benedict College Tigers, Miles College Golden Bears, and Fresno Pacific Sunbirds. Watson-Gayle played for all three teams in Division II of the American college basketball.[2][3][4]

Club career

Bristol Flyers

On 5 August 2022 Watson-Gayle signed his first professional contract signing for a one-year deal, with the option of a further year for the Bristol Flyers.[5] Watson Gayle played there for a year being one of their most important players coming of primarily from the bench avaraging 12.7 points 3.3 rebounds and assists. Watson-Gayle was in the 2023 BBL All British Team Of The Year.

Winnipeg Sea Bears

On 15 May 2023 Watson-Gayle signed a summer contract to the newest franchise of the Canadian Elite Basketball League the Winnipeg Sea Bears.[6] Watson-Gayle played for them for the 2023 CEBL season where the 'Ursus maritimus' were eliminted in the Play-in round. He was crowned 2023 CEBL Sixth Man of the Year.[7][8] Watson-Gayle avaraged 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Brussels

On 24 June 2023 Watson-Gayle signed for BNXT League club Brussels Basketball.[9] Watson-Gayle was one of their key players in the 2023–24 season for the belgians avaraging 9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and assists.[10]

Slavia Praha

On 5 July 2024 Watson-Gayle transferred to the Czech NBL club Slavia Praha.[11]

Cherno More Ticha

On 2 September 2025 Watson-Gayle signed for Bulgarian NBL silver medalist and Bulgarian Cup winner Cherno More Ticha.[12] On 28 September 2025 Watson-Gayle won his first trophy in his career in his debut for Cherno More winning the 2025 Bulgarian Super Cup in a 88–64 win against Rilski Sportist.[13] Watson-Gayle is one of the 'sailors' most important players in their 2025–26 title push.

International career

Great Britain U20

Watson-Gayle first featured for Great Britain in FIBA youth competition, notably at the 2018 FIBA U20 European Championship. Across 7 games, he averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, playing a key role in the backcourt and demonstrating his all-around game against Europe’s top U20 talent.[14]

Great Britain

On 14 February 2023 Watson-Gayle was called up for the first time for the Great Britain men's national team while playing for the Bristol Flyers.[15] Watson-Gayle made his first appearances in World Cup qualifiers losses against Belgium (59–88) and Serbia (83–101).[16][17] In early 2024, Watson-Gayle was named in the Great Britain roster for the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 qualifying windows. The squad list published for the qualifiers included him as part of the extended group of point guards representing Great Britain as they contested qualifying matches against European competition.[18] In August 2025, Watson-Gayle was named in Great Britain’s training squad for their pre-EuroBasket preparation tour, which included warm-up games against France, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia and Estonia ahead of the main tournament.[19] Later that month, he secured his place on the official 12-man roster for the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 final tournament. Great Britain’s squad announcement confirmed his inclusion representing Great Britain in Tampere and across the EuroBasket group stage.[20]

References

  1. ^ Proballers. "Jelani Watson-Gayle, Basketball Player, Stats, Height, Age". Proballers. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  2. ^ a b "Jelani Watson-Gayle - Basketball, Men". Benedict College Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  3. ^ "Jelani Watson-Gayle - Men's Basketball". Miles College Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  4. ^ "Jelani Watson-Gayle - 2021-2022 - Men's Basketball". Fresno Pacific University Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  5. ^ "Flyers sign Jelani Watson-Gayle". Bristol Flyers. 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  6. ^ "Jelani Watson-Gayle signs Canadian summer deal". Bristol Flyers. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  7. ^ "Sea Bears Honoured with Four Winners at 2023 CEBL Awards". Sea Bears. 2023-08-10.
  8. ^ Neter, Sam (2023-08-10). "Jelani Watson-Gayle named CEBL Sixth Man of the Year". Hoopsfix.com. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  9. ^ "Jelani Watson-Gayle departs the Flyers for Belgium". BBL Daily. 2023-06-24.
  10. ^ "2023-24 Jelani Watson-Gayle statistics". bnxtleague.com. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  11. ^ "Slavia lnk Deal with Watson-Gayle". 2024-06-05.
  12. ^ "Черно море се подсили с участник на Евробаскет 2025". bgbasket.com (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  13. ^ "Черно море обогати своята витрина с първа Суперкупа на България". bgbasket.com (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  14. ^ "Jelani Watson-Gayle - Great Britain - Player profile - FIBA U20 European Championship | FIBA Basketball Events". www.fiba.basketball. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  15. ^ "Jelani Watson-Gayle earns Great Britain call-up". Bristol Flyers. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  16. ^ Proballers. "Great Britain vs. Belgium - Feb 24, 2023 - Game recap". Proballers. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  17. ^ Proballers. "Serbia vs. Great Britain - Feb 27, 2023 - Game recap". Proballers. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  18. ^ Neter, Sam (2024-02-13). "GB roster revealed for EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers". Hoopsfix.com. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  19. ^ "GB Men's training squad announced ahead of EuroBasket prep tour". gb.basketball. Archived from the original on 2025-08-27. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  20. ^ "Great Britain unveil 12-man roster for FIBA EuroBasket 2025". www.fiba.basketball. 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
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