Buck Williams facts for kids
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Buck Williams in 2006
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 8, 1960 Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. |
| High school | Rocky Mount (Rocky Mount, North Carolina) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Maryland (1978–1981) |
| NBA Draft | 1981 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall |
| Selected by the New Jersey Nets | |
| Pro career | 1981–1998 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1989 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1989–1996 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1996–1998 | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 16,784 (12.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 13,017 (10.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,646 (1.3 apg) |
Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. Buck Williams was famous for his amazing ability to grab rebounds during games. He was also known for wearing his special goggles while playing.
Williams played as a power forward. He was 6 feet 8 inches tall. He is one of the top rebounders in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His NBA career lasted 17 years. During this time, he was chosen for the All-Star Game three times. He also won the Rookie of the Year award. He was selected for the All-NBA second team once. Plus, he made the NBA All-Defensive teams four times.
Buck Williams led the New Jersey Nets in rebounding for most of the 1980s. He still holds many records for the Nets. These include the most total rebounds (7,576) and games played (635). He also has the most minutes played (23,100) and rebounds per game (11.9).
Contents
Early Basketball Days
High School and College Success
Buck Williams went to Rocky Mount High School in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. After high school, he played college basketball at the University of Maryland. He quickly became a star at Maryland. In 1979, he won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award.
He was the best rebounder in the ACC twice, in 1979 and 1981. In his second and third years, he averaged 15.5 points per game. He was also named to the All-ACC team in 1980 and 1981.
In 1980, Buck was chosen for the USA Olympic basketball team. Other famous players like Isiah Thomas were on that team too. However, the United States decided not to go to the Moscow Olympics. So, Buck never got to play for his country there.
Later, in 2002, Williams was honored as one of the best Maryland players. He was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team. In 2001, he joined the University of Maryland's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Buck's NBA Journey
Starting with the New Jersey Nets (1981–1989)
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After three years in college, Buck Williams decided to join the NBA. The New Jersey Nets picked him third overall in the 1981 NBA draft. This meant he was one of the first players chosen that year.
In his first season with the Nets, he scored 15.5 points per game. He also led the team with 12.3 rebounds per game. His help made the Nets win 20 more games than the year before. Because of his great start, he won the 1982 Rookie of the Year award.
For the next eight seasons, Williams became a top player at the power forward position for the Nets. In six of those years, he was among the top three rebounders in the league. He never averaged less than 12 rebounds per game.
In 1984, the Nets made it to the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 1976. They lost to the Milwaukee Bucks that year. The Nets did not get past the first round again until 2002.
Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (1989–1996)
On June 24, 1989, the Nets traded Williams to the Portland Trail Blazers. In Portland, Buck continued to play very well. He became an important player alongside star guards Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter.
Before Williams joined, the Blazers had lost in the first round of the playoffs for four years in a row. But with Buck, the Blazers reached the Western Conference Finals three times in his first three seasons. They also made it to the NBA Finals twice.
In the 1990 Finals, the Blazers lost to the strong Detroit Pistons. In 1992, they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls. Buck Williams was a regular starter for six of his seven seasons with the Blazers. He is still one of the top players in Blazers history for field goal percentage and total rebounds.
Finishing with the New York Knicks (1996–1998)
Towards the end of his career, after the 1995–96 season, Williams moved back to the Atlantic Division. He signed with the New York Knicks. Here, he played a smaller role, supporting star players like Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley.
He played two years with the Knicks. However, he missed 41 games in the 1997–98 season because of knee surgery. This was the first time in his career he missed so many games.
Buck Williams announced his retirement on January 27, 1999. He ended his career with great averages: 12.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. His shooting percentage was also very high at 54.9 percent. Over his 17-year NBA career, Williams scored more than 16,000 points and grabbed over 13,000 rebounds. He was only the seventh NBA player to reach both of these impressive numbers.
Life After Playing Basketball
Williams was the president of the NBA Players Association from 1994 to 1997. This organization represents NBA players. In April 1999, the Nets honored him by retiring his jersey number 52. This means no other Nets player will wear that number again.
In 2006, he was inducted into the Rocky Mount Twin County Hall of Fame. In 2018, he also joined the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Coaching Career
In July 2010, Buck Williams became an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He worked under head coach Nate McMillan.
See also
In Spanish: Buck Williams para niños
- List of NBA career games played leaders
- List of NBA career rebounding leaders
- List of NBA career turnovers leaders
- List of NBA career personal fouls leaders
- List of NBA career minutes played leaders
- List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders
