Jay Williams (basketball) facts for kids
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Williams in 2013
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 10, 1981 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| High school | St. Joseph (Metuchen, New Jersey) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Duke (1999–2002) |
| NBA Draft | 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 2002–2004, 2006 |
| Career history | |
| 2002–2004 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2006 | Austin Toros |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Jason David Williams (born September 10, 1981) is an American former basketball player. He is also a television analyst. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Later, he played professionally for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
While playing for Duke, he was known as Jason Williams. He helped Duke win the 2001 NCAA Championship. He was also named NABC Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002. In the 2002 NBA draft, the Bulls picked him second overall. When he joined the Bulls, he started using the name Jay. This was to avoid confusion with other players who had similar names. His basketball career was greatly affected by a motorcycle accident in 2003. He last played with the Austin Toros in 2006. His season ended early due to lasting effects from his accident.
Since he stopped playing, Williams has worked as an analyst for ESPN. He first covered college basketball. In 2019, he moved to full-time NBA coverage. He joined ESPN's NBA Countdown program.
Contents
High School Basketball Achievements
Williams grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. He went to St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. He graduated in 1999. He was great at basketball. He also enjoyed other activities, like chess. His high school nickname was "Jay Dubs."
Williams played junior varsity soccer in his first year. He was also named the state volleyball player of the year in his senior year. In basketball, he was a First Team All-State Player in New Jersey. He was also the New Jersey Player of the Year. He was a Parade All-American and a USA Today first team All-American. He also became a McDonald's All-American. There, he competed in the Slam Dunk Contest and the McDonald's All-American Game. He scored 20 points in that game.
In his last year of high school, he averaged 19 points, 7.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game. He started every game for all four years at St. Joseph. He set school records for total points (1,977) and steals (407). He also received the 1999 Morgan Wootten Award. This award recognized his basketball skills and his good grades. He had a 3.6 GPA.
College Basketball Career
At Duke University, Williams was a point guard. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 195 pounds. He was one of the few freshmen in Duke's history to score double figures. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year. The Sporting News also named him National Freshman of the Year. He averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Basketball Times named him a first team Freshman All-American.
Leading Duke to a Championship
In his next season, Williams started all 39 games. He led the Duke Blue Devils to the 2001 NCAA National Championship. He earned NABC Player of the Year honors that year. His 841 points broke Dick Groat's 49-year Duke record for points in a season. He also led all tournament scorers with 25.7 points per game. Williams set an NCAA Tournament record for three-pointers attempted (66). He also made 132 three-point field goals. This was the sixth-highest total in NCAA history.
His 21.6 points per game led the ACC. He was the first Duke player since Danny Ferry (1989) to lead the league in scoring. His 6.1 assists were second in the league. He also ranked second in three-point field goal percentage (.427). He was first in three-pointers made (3.4 per game).
National Player of the Year
Williams was seen as the best player in college basketball. In 2002, he won both the Naismith Award and Wooden Award. These are top awards for college basketball players. He earned a degree in sociology in 2002. He left Duke with 2,079 points, which was sixth all-time. His jersey number 22 was retired on Senior Day.
He had 36 games where he scored double figures in one season. This is tied for the fifth-most in Duke history.
Professional Basketball Career
Chicago Bulls (2002–2004)
The Chicago Bulls picked Williams second overall in the 2002 NBA draft. Yao Ming was picked first by the Houston Rockets. Williams was a starter for the Bulls for most of the 2002–03 NBA season. His performance was not always consistent. He also shared playing time with Jamal Crawford. However, he showed great potential. He achieved a triple-double in a game against the New Jersey Nets. Williams' last NBA game was on April 15, 2003. The Bulls won 115–106 against the Philadelphia 76ers. In that game, he scored 14 points, had 7 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Motorcycle Accident and Its Impact
On June 19, 2003, Williams was in a motorcycle accident in Chicago. He crashed his motorcycle into a streetlight. He was not wearing a helmet. Williams suffered serious injuries. These included a fractured pelvis, a damaged nerve in his leg, and three torn ligaments in his left knee. One of these was the ACL. He needed a lot of physical therapy to be able to use his leg again.
A week after the accident, the Bulls drafted another point guard, Kirk Hinrich. It became clear that Williams would not be able to return to play for a long time, if at all. The Bulls decided to release him from their team. This meant they lost their top draft pick from the year before. The Bulls gave Williams $3 million to help with his rehabilitation costs. Williams apologized to the Bulls for the accident and his injuries. He said he would work hard to return to basketball.
Austin Toros (2006)
On September 28, 2006, the New Jersey Nets signed Williams to a contract. However, they released him on October 22.
Williams then signed with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. He only played in three games for the team. On December 30, 2006, the Toros released him due to injury. After this, Williams announced that he did not plan to continue his basketball career.
National Team Experience
During his playing career, Williams also played for the USA national basketball team. He was part of the US team that finished in 6th place at the 2002 FIBA World Cup. This tournament was held in Indianapolis. In seven games, Williams averaged 3.9 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals. He played about 6.6 minutes per game.
Life After Basketball
Williams now works for ESPN as an NBA analyst. Before this, he covered college basketball for the network. He also gives motivational speeches. He worked as an analyst on CBS College Sports Network during the 2008 NCAA men's basketball tournament. From 2007 to 2009, he was a recruiter for Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment. In 2016, Williams released his autobiography. It is called Life Is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention.
Currently, Williams is a spokesperson for Visions Federal Credit Union. He was also an announcer in the video game NBA Live 19.
In May 2020, an article on BlackEnterprise.com stated that Williams co-founded a company called Simatree. This company offers management consulting. He also partly owns The CabinNYC restaurant. He advises a digital marketing agency. He also works with EPIC Insurance to help athletes and celebrities with financial advice.
In 2021, Williams started hosting a podcast series for NPR. It is called The Limits with Jay Williams.
Williams co-hosted the "Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show." This was a national morning show on ESPN Radio. He hosted it with Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman. In June 2023, ESPN canceled the show as part of their budget cuts.
Personal Life
Williams is a cousin of former NFL wide receiver David Tyree.
He is married to Nikki Bonacorsi. They have one daughter and one son.
Images for kids
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Williams in 2013
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Williams on ESPN in January 2011
See also
In Spanish: Jay Williams para niños
