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 40) 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. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini. In 2005, he was picked third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.

Deron was an NBA All-Star three times with the Jazz and Brooklyn Nets. He also played for Beşiktaş in Turkey during the 2011 NBA lockout. He 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 a talented wrestler. He won two state wrestling championships in Texas. In 1993, at age eight, he won the 67-pound state title. Four years later, in 1997, he won the 116-pound championship for 12-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 led his team, the Cougars, to a great 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 finished with a 29–2 record.

College Career at Illinois

Williams played college basketball at the University of Illinois from 2002 to 2005. 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.

As a sophomore, Williams greatly improved his game. His scoring went 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.

A memorable moment was their comeback win against the Arizona Wildcats. The Illini were down by fifteen points late in the game. Williams led the team's amazing comeback. He made a game-tying three-point shot with only 38.5 seconds left. Then, he hit another key three-pointer in overtime, helping Illinois win.

After the 2004–05 season, Williams received many awards. 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 decided to enter the NBA draft after his junior year.

Professional Career

Utah Jazz (2005–2011)

Williams after he was drafted by the Jazz in the 2005 NBA draft

The Utah Jazz picked Deron Williams third overall in the 2005 NBA draft. He was chosen after Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams. In his first season, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Williams and Chris Paul, who was drafted right after him, had a friendly rivalry throughout their careers.

In the 2006–07 season, Williams became the Jazz's full-time starting point guard. His stats improved to 16.2 points and 9.3 assists per game. The Jazz had a great 51–31 record and won their division. They made the playoffs for the first time in three years. They beat the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors to reach the Western Conference Finals. There, they faced the San Antonio Spurs. Even though the Jazz lost, Williams played very well.

Williams with Utah Jazz in 2008

For the 2007–08 season, Williams continued to improve. He averaged 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game. He won the NBA Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. The Jazz again won their division. They beat the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Williams with the Jazz attempting to block Chauncey Billups

In the 2008–09 season, Williams missed some early games due to an ankle injury. Despite injuries to other key players, he averaged 19.2 points and 10.0 assists per game. He became only the second active player to have 20 or more assists in at least four games in his career.

Williams made his first All-Star team in 2010. He also competed in the NBA Skills Challenge again. In the playoffs, he became only the second Jazz player ever to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. He did this multiple times in the series against the Denver Nuggets.

In February 2011, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan resigned. There were rumors of disagreements with Williams, but Sloan said he left on his own. Williams also said he would never force Sloan out.

New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets (2011–2015)

On February 23, 2011, Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets. The Nets wanted a star player as they prepared to move to Brooklyn. Williams's arrival made an immediate impact. He averaged 12.8 assists per game in his first 12 games with the team. He had 47 assists in his first three games, an NBA record for a new player.

Playing in Turkey (2011)

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 an amazing 50 points in a game for Beşiktaş. When the lockout ended, his jersey number 8 was retired by Beşiktaş in a special ceremony.

Return to the Nets (2011–2015)

After the lockout, Williams returned to the Nets. He was voted into the All-Star Game for the third time in his career. On March 4, 2012, Williams scored a career-high and Nets franchise-high 57 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. This was the most points scored in the NBA that season by any player.

Williams celebrates a made three-pointer

On July 11, 2012, Williams signed a big five-year deal to stay with the Nets. The team had moved to Brooklyn and was building a strong roster. Williams scored the first regular-season points at the new Barclays Center arena. On March 8, 2013, Williams set a Nets record by making 11 three-pointers in one game against the Washington Wizards. He made 9 of them in the first half, which was an NBA record for three-pointers in a half.

In the 2013–14 season, Williams had a long streak of games with at least one steal. He tied and then broke the Nets' franchise record for consecutive games with a steal.

In the 2014–15 season, Williams had some injuries. However, he still had strong performances. In Game 4 of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, he scored a playoff career-high 35 points. On July 11, 2015, Williams left 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 with the Dallas Mavericks. He scored 30 points in an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers in December. On January 5, 2016, he hit a game-winning three-pointer in double overtime against the Sacramento Kings. On March 20, he had 31 points and 16 assists in another overtime win against Portland. This made him the first Maverick since Jason Kidd in 1996 to have 30 points and 15 assists in the same game. Williams re-signed with the Mavericks in July 2016. He continued to climb the NBA's all-time assists list during his time with Dallas.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2017)

On February 27, 2017, Williams signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played as a backup point guard for the Cavaliers. On April 10, 2017, he scored a season-high 35 points. Williams played in all 18 playoff games for Cleveland. He helped them reach the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.

National Team Career

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

Deron Williams won a bronze medal with the United States U18 team in 2002. He was chosen to be part of the USA Olympic team for the 2008 Olympics. This team was called the "Redeem Team" because they aimed to win gold after missing out in 2004. They went undefeated and won the gold medal. Williams averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 assists per game in the 2008 Olympics.

In 2012, Williams was again selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics team. The team won another gold medal, beating Spain. Williams averaged 9.0 points and 4.6 assists per game, earning his second Olympic gold medal.

Career Statistics

NBA statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

College statistics

Personal Life

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

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

He is a big fan of boxing and MMA (mixed martial arts). He has trained in both sports for many years. In November 2021, he had an exhibition boxing match against former NFL player Frank Gore. Williams won the fight by a split decision.

Endorsements

Deron Williams was the cover athlete for the video game NBA Baller Beats for the Xbox 360. He also had endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Vitaminwater, Red Bull, and MetroPCS. He appeared in commercials for some of these brands.

Images for kids

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  Williams with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014

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  Williams after he was drafted by the Jazz in the 2005 NBA draft

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  Williams with Utah Jazz in 2008

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  Williams with the Jazz attempting to block Chauncey Billups

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  Williams celebrates a made three-pointer

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

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  Williams with the United States Olympic team in 2012

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

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