Anthony Watkins (194-PG-2000) isn´t only a special basketball player that has reached the highest level in Germany with the easyCredit BBL, but also has had a unique Christmas life that not many can say that they have had. As a boy that grew up in the States with an American father, but had a German mom, he witnessed Xmas from both cultures. “I got the best of both worlds. It was always just the three of us and the Christ kind on the 24th with some great world famous lasagna that my mom made as well as the presents from the Christ kind. Then on the 25th we’d go to Nanny’s (my dad’s mom) and watch the NBA games and eat some mac and cheese, collard greens (my favorite), cornbread, pies, turkey, dressing, and the works. I stayed away from the chitterlings though! I would get some presents there too, but the main event was on Christmas Eve. Once we got a bigger house and Nanny got older, we would host Christmas Day which was cool as well”, remembered Anthony Watkins. Christmas is all about family and that was always a big focus in the Watkins family. “Christmas means making time for one another. Coming from a family of ambitious and hardworking people, who spend a lot of their time serving others, it’s always great to see that energy go entirely toward the people closest and dearest for a few days”, stressed Anthony Watkins.

Usually Christmas Eve in the States is about being at home and just spending precious time with the loved ones. Eating scrumptious food, listening to Xmas songs and watching Xmas movies is also on the menu. “Lasagna is my favorite Xmas food and my mom’s gingerbread cookies that we have to hide from my dad for anyone to have a chance to get some. Polar Express has always been a classic for me, but there is also a Rudolph and the Reindeer Games VHS Tape somewhere that I used to love to watch during this season, and that’s probably the reason why Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is my favorite Christmas song”, said Anthony Watkins. However in the Watkins family, there is so much more to do than just eat and watch movies. Anthony and his dad actually had a very stressful day getting so much ready for Xmas. “Christmas Eve was when my dad and I went to work! We’d get up in the morning, driving through town to see if we could find a Christmas tree somewhere (results may vary) and somehow, we always found one my mom approved of. Once we brought the tree back, it was time to go through all the stores we could to get the gifts we needed for the night. After we got all the gifts, we’d grab some McChickens and a Sweet Tea off the dollar menu to “knock the dust off” and headed to Nanny’s to wrap the presents so we could hand them over to the Christkind in time to give to my mom. Those Christmas Eve missions are some of my fondest memories with my dad. And topping it off with presents and the world famous lasagna makes them unforgettable”, said Anthony Watkins. Getting presents is always special for kids, but sometimes it takes a little bit of disappointment before the real climax hits at least in the Watkins family. “The presents were always great, but what I loved more was the performances my parents would organize to give me special gifts. One example was when I got my Xbox One. I had gotten a controller for it, and didn’t see any gifts left under the tree. My mom had said she wanted to at least give me a piece of the Xbox even though they couldn’t get me the whole thing. The whole family was there (even my grandparents and uncle from Germany) and I remember being disappointed, but also still being grateful for what I had gotten. We sat around and talked about our gifts and other things for a while when Nanny went to “go smoke” (she hadn’t smoked in years I think) my dad said to go with her, which made it even more odd, but she didn’t come over often so I rolled with it. I went with her to the back porch and there it was: The Xbox One I had wanted for almost two years since it came out, in all its glory”, added Anthony Watkins. He also remembers his most cherished moment when he gave a loved one a gift. “Being able to gift the novel I wrote and dedicated to my grandfather to my grandmother and mom was a pretty special moment. It was something I had worked on for years and that took a lot of courage to publish. Now I’ve released the sequel and am working on part three, and my mom is actually helping me to translate book one into German”, commented Anthony Watkins.

Anthony Watkins grew up in Tennessee and turned pro in 2019. He came to Germany and in 7 seasons has played for 10 organizations. Currently he is playing for Pro B team Lok Bernau. There were Christmas´s where he could hop over the Atlantic, but also other times where he couldn´t. “I was able to go home to the States twice in my career and spend Christmas there, which was special! Almost felt like a mini off-season. Other years I’ve either spent the Holidays on my own or tried to get down to see my family in the Heidelberg area”, expressed Anthony Watkins. So where will the point guard spend Xmas this year? “I’ve got a beautiful lady in my life nowadays so we’ll definitely make sure she gets to see her family and then we’ll head down to see my grandmother and my mom, who flew in to catch some games and spend the holidays. We’re still planning right now and seeing how much time we will have off, but I’m looking forward to it”, stated Anthony Watkins. As a kid who grew up in the States, he has taken a liking to the pre Christmas activities in Germany. “It is always cool to see the Lebkuchen coming into stores in September. I always send a picture (or two) to tease my mom who has to wait until Christmas time. Here, Halloween is getting bigger, but there’s no Thanksgiving for example that comes after to bridge the gap, so Christmas vibes are more or less in full swing after Halloween (which is my birthday). The US does it big when the shift does happen, but that normally comes after Black Friday is done. In Germany it slowly ramps up I’d say”, stressed Anthony Watkins. He also has witnessed the Xmas markets. “I think they’re really cool! I don’t drink alcohol so the Glühwein is lost on me, but I’ll tap into a hot chocolate for sure and check out the different stands. Plus, as I mentioned, I have someone with me nowadays who would be quite upset with me if we didn’t go to any Christmas markets during the Holiday season”, smiled Anthony Watkins. He has seen Xmas from 2 sides, but could that moment ever happen where he would chose either the 24th or 25th to open the presents? “That idea of Christmas morning is a classic American image. But I enjoy both styles! It’ll be interesting to see what ideas we come up with when we decide to start a family, because I’d like to incorporate elements from both! It’s also funny to see/hear American rookies react to hearing that news for the first time. They never believe it”, stressed Anthony Watkins.