Deron Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Deron Williams

Williams with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1984-06-26) June 26, 1984 (age 41) Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S.
High school	The Colony (The Colony, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College	Illinois (2002–2005)
NBA Draft	2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Pro career	2005–2017
Career history
2005–2011	Utah Jazz
2011–2015	New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets
2011	Beşiktaş
2015–2017	Dallas Mavericks
2017	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
3× NBA All-Star (2010–2012) 2× All-NBA Second Team (2008, 2010) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2006) No. 8 retired by Beşiktaş Consensus second-team All-American (2005) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (2004, 2005) No. 5 jersey honored by Illinois Fighting Illini
Career NBA statistics
Points	13,804 (16.3 ppg)
Rebounds	2,619 (3.1 rpg)
Assists	6,819 (8.1 apg)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Team Gold 2012 London Team FIBA Americas Championship Gold 2007 Las Vegas FIBA Americas U18 Championship Bronze 2002 Isla Margarita Team

Deron Williams is an American former professional basketball player. He was born on June 26, 1984. Williams played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He was picked third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.

Williams was an NBA All-Star three times. He played for the Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets. During the 2011 NBA lockout, he also played for Beşiktaş in Turkey. Williams won gold medals with the U.S. national team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Deron Williams was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. When he was younger, he was also a talented wrestler. He won two state wrestling championships in Texas. In 1993, at eight years old, he won the 67-pound state title. Four years later, in 1997, he won the 116-pound championship for twelve-year-olds.

Williams went to The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. In his junior year (2001), he averaged 17 points, 9.4 assists, and 2 steals per game. He helped his team, the Cougars, achieve a 32–2 record. They reached the Class 5A state semifinals. As a senior in 2002, he averaged 17.6 points, 8.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 steals. His team went 29–2 that season, again losing in the 5A Texas State semifinals.

College Basketball Career

Williams played college basketball at the University of Illinois starting in the 2002–03 season. In his first year, he started 30 out of 32 games. He was third in the Big Ten Conference for assists, with 4.53 per game.

Bruce Weber became the head coach for the Illini in 2003. He helped Williams improve a lot. As a sophomore, Williams's scoring jumped from 6.3 to 14.0 points per game. His assists also increased to 6.17 per game. He was named First-Team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media.

In 2005, as a junior, Williams led the Fighting Illini to the NCAA championship game. They lost to the University of North Carolina. That season, the Illini were undefeated until their last regular season game. They lost to Ohio State by just one point.

A memorable game on their way to the Final Four was against the Arizona Wildcats. The Illini, led by Williams, came back from being down fifteen points in the last few minutes. Williams made a three-point shot to tie the game with 38.5 seconds left. He then hit another three-pointer in overtime to take the lead.

Williams received many awards after the 2004–05 season. He was named a Second Team All-American. He was also on the First Team All-Big Ten and the All-Final Four team. The University of Illinois named him their Athlete of the Year. Williams was also a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Williams was named First-Team All-Big Ten in both 2004 and 2005. Coach Bruce Weber called him "the MVP of the team" in 2005. The team had four other future NBA players, including Dee Brown and Luther Head.

After the 2005 season, Williams decided to enter the NBA draft. He gave up his last year of college eligibility.

Professional Basketball Career

Utah Jazz (2005–2011)

Williams after being drafted by the Jazz in 2005

The Utah Jazz picked Deron Williams as the third overall player in the 2005 NBA draft. He started his first season coming off the bench. He later became the starting point guard. Williams finished his rookie year averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. He played in 80 games. Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He was the only rookie besides Chris Paul to get a first-place vote for Rookie of the Year. Williams and Chris Paul had a friendly rivalry that began after the 2005 draft.

Williams became the starting point guard for the Jazz in the 2006–07 season. The Jazz started the season with an amazing 12–1 record. This was the best start in team history. Williams played very well, getting five double-doubles. He had career highs of 21 assists in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. His stats improved to 16.2 points and 9.3 assists per game. The Jazz finished with a 51–31 record and won the Northwest Division title.

The Jazz made the playoffs for the first time in three years. They beat the Houston Rockets 4–3 in the first round. This was their first playoff series win since 2000. In the second round, the Jazz faced the Golden State Warriors. Williams helped the Jazz take a 3–1 lead. The Jazz won the series 4–2, reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998.

In the conference finals, the Jazz played the San Antonio Spurs. Williams played some of his best basketball, averaging nine assists and over thirty points in the first three games. Spurs guard Tony Parker praised Williams's aggressive play. Spurs forward Bruce Bowen compared Williams to former Jazz star John Stockton.

Williams with the Utah Jazz in 2008

Williams scored a career-high 41 points on December 8, 2007, against the Dallas Mavericks. He also had two games with 20 assists that season. His stats improved to 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game. He was third in the league in assists. Williams won the NBA Skills Challenge during All-Star weekend.

Williams took on a big leadership role for the team. In March, he had 212 assists, the most by any NBA player in a month since John Stockton in 1992. The Jazz won the Northwest Division again with a 54–28 record. They beat the Houston Rockets in six games in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz then lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the second round. Williams was the Jazz's top scorer in the 2008 playoffs.

Williams with the Jazz trying to block Chauncey Billups

In the 2008 offseason, Williams signed a three-year contract extension. He missed 13 of the first 15 games of the 2008–09 season due to an ankle injury. He returned on November 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Williams led the team through a tough season with many injuries to key players. Despite averaging 19.2 points and 10.0 assists per game, he was not chosen for the All-Star Game. He responded by scoring over 30 points in five straight games before the break.

On March 1, 2009, Williams became the second active player to have 20 or more assists in at least four games.

On December 14, 2009, Williams was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. This was a week after his teammate Carlos Boozer won the same award. The Jazz had not had back-to-back Player of the Week awards since 1997.

On January 28, 2010, Williams was chosen for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. This was his first All-Star appearance. He also competed in the NBA Skills Challenge, finishing second.

Williams played with wrist and ankle injuries during the playoffs. He became only the second player in Jazz history to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. John Stockton was the only other Jazz player to do this. Williams scored 33 points and had 14 assists in a Game 2 win against the Denver Nuggets. He did it again later in the series with 34 points and 10 assists.

On April 28, Williams became the first NBA player to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in five straight playoff games.

Coach Jerry Sloan resigned mid-season on February 7, 2011. He denied that conflicts with Williams caused him to leave. Williams said he had a disagreement with Sloan but would never force him out.

New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets (2011–2015)

On February 23, 2011, Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets. The Jazz traded him because they thought he might not re-sign with them. Williams's arrival gave the Nets a star player to build around. The team was getting ready to move to Brooklyn.

Williams's impact on the Nets was clear, even though he played only 12 games due to a wrist injury. The Nets became one of the highest-scoring teams after the All-Star break. Williams averaged 12.8 assists per game in those 12 games. He had 47 assists in his first 3 games with the Nets, an NBA record. On April 11, 2011, Williams had surgery on his right wrist, which ended his season.

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Williams signed a one-year contract to play for Beşiktaş in Turkey. His contract allowed him to return to the NBA when the lockout ended. On November 22, 2011, Williams scored 50 points in a game for Beşiktaş. After the lockout ended, Beşiktaş retired his jersey number 8 in a farewell ceremony. Williams played 15 games in Turkey.

After the lockout, Williams returned to New Jersey. He hoped to lead the Nets to the playoffs. The Nets faced a challenge when Brook Lopez broke his foot. Williams played well enough to be voted into the All-Star Game for the third time. He averaged over 22 points and 8 assists.

When Lopez returned, the Nets started playing better. On March 4, 2012, Williams scored a career-high and Nets franchise-high 57 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. This broke the team record of 52 points. It was the most points scored in the NBA that season.

Williams celebrates a made three-pointer

On July 11, 2012, Williams signed a five-year deal to stay with the Nets. The team had moved to Brooklyn. He was encouraged to stay after the Nets traded for Joe Johnson and re-signed Brook Lopez. Williams scored the first regular-season points at the new Barclays Center on November 3, 2012. The Nets won that game. On November 26, 2012, the Nets played their rival, the New York Knicks. The Nets won in overtime.

Williams missed two games before the All-Star break to get treatment for his ankles. He had a bone spur causing inflammation.

On March 8, 2013, Williams made 11 three-pointers in a game against the Washington Wizards. This set a Nets record. He made 9 of those threes in the first half, an NBA record for three-pointers in a half. Williams finished the night with 42 points in a Nets win.

On March 28, 2014, Williams had a steal in his 21st straight game. This was one of the longest streaks in the league. He broke the Nets' franchise record for consecutive games with a steal on April 8. The streak ended at 31 games on April 22.

Williams was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played November 3–9, 2014. This was his first Player of the Week award as a Net. He had a good start to the season without injuries. However, he strained his right calf on December 19. He later suffered a fractured rib in January. After missing 11 games, Williams returned on February 2, 2015.

On February 20, Williams became a starter again. He had 12 points and a season-high 15 assists against the Los Angeles Lakers. On April 3, 2015, he scored a season-high 31 points against the Toronto Raptors.

In Game 4 of the Nets' first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Williams scored a playoff career-high 35 points. The Nets won in overtime to tie the series. The Nets eventually lost the series in six games.

On July 11, 2015, Williams was released by the Nets.

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2017)

Williams brings the ball up in a 2017 game against the Phoenix Suns

On July 14, 2015, Williams signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He played his first game for the Mavericks on October 28, scoring 12 points and 7 assists. On December 1, he scored a season-high 30 points in an overtime win. He missed some games in December due to a hamstring injury. On January 5, 2016, he scored 25 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer in double overtime. On March 20, he had season highs of 31 points and 16 assists in an overtime win. He was the first Maverick since Jason Kidd in 1996 to have 30 points and 15 assists in the same game. Williams missed games in late March and early April due to an abdominal strain. This injury also kept him out of the playoffs.

On July 8, 2016, Williams re-signed with the Mavericks for one year. In the Mavericks' first game of the 2016–17 season, Williams scored 25 points. On December 3, he had a season-high 15 assists. With seven assists on December 18, Williams passed Derek Harper for 21st place on the NBA's all-time assists list. On January 22, 2017, he moved into 20th place in NBA history for assists. On February 23, 2017, Williams was released by the Mavericks.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2017)

On February 27, 2017, Williams signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his first game for the Cavaliers, he scored four points. On April 10, 2017, he had a season-high 35 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds.

Williams played in all 18 playoff games for Cleveland as the backup point guard. The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals, but they were defeated by the Golden State Warriors.

Playing for Team USA

Williams with the United States Olympic team in 2012

Williams and future Cavs teammate LeBron James meeting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama

Williams won a bronze medal with the United States U18 team in 2002. He was chosen for the USA Olympic team for the 2008 Olympics. The team went undefeated and won the gold medal. They beat Spain and were known as the "Redeem Team" after missing out on a medal in 2004. In the 2008 Olympics, Williams averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 assists per game.

In January 2012, Williams was named to the 19-man roster for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He made the final team. The team won the gold medal again by beating Spain. Williams averaged 9.0 points and 4.6 assists per game. He earned his second Olympic gold medal.

Basketball Statistics

NBA Regular Season Stats

NBA Playoff Stats

College Stats

Personal Life and Other Interests

Williams became a Christian in early 2010. He is married to Amy Young, whom he knew since second grade. They have four children together.

Williams appeared as himself on the Disney Channel show The Suite Life on Deck. He was in the episode Twister: Part 1 with Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.

He is a big fan of boxing and MMA (mixed martial arts). Williams has trained in both for many years. He even owns a part of a gym called Fortis MMA. On December 18, 2021, Williams had an exhibition boxing match against former NFL player Frank Gore. Williams won the fight by a split decision.

Exhibition Boxing Record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
1	Win	1–0	Frank Gore	SD	4	Dec 18, 2021	Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S.

Endorsements

Williams was the cover athlete for the video game NBA Baller Beats on the Xbox 360. He went to E3 2012 to promote the game. Williams has endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Vitaminwater, Red Bull, and MetroPCS. He got many of these deals during his successful time with the Utah Jazz. After joining the Nets, Williams appeared in commercials for Red Bull and MetroPCS.

See also

In Spanish: Deron Williams para niños

• List of NBA career assists leaders
• List of NBA single-game assists leaders
• List of NBA single-game 3-point field goal leaders
• List of NBA All-Stars
• List of Olympic medalists in basketball
• United States men's national basketball team
• NBA All-Rookie Team