Jay Williams (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jay Williams

Williams in 2013
Personal information
Born	(1981-09-10) September 10, 1981 (age 43) 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
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2003) NCAA champion (2001) National college player of the year (2002) 2× NABC Player of the Year (2001, 2002) 2× Consensus first-team All-American (2001, 2002) 2× First-team All-ACC (2001, 2002) Third-team All-ACC (2000) ACC tournament MVP (2000) ACC All-Freshman team (2000) No. 22 retired by Duke Blue Devils First-team Parade All-American (1999)

Jay 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 men's basketball team. Later, he played professionally for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.

When he was in college, he was known as Jason Williams. He helped Duke win the NCAA Championship in 2001. He was also named the NABC Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002. The Bulls picked him second overall in the 2002 NBA draft. He started using the name Jay to avoid confusion with other players in the NBA. His basketball career ended early because of a motorcycle accident in 2003.

After retiring from playing, Jay Williams became a sports analyst for ESPN. He first covered college basketball. In 2019, he started working full-time on NBA programs, including NBA Countdown.

High School Basketball Star

Jay Williams grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. He went to St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. He graduated in 1999.

He was not just great at basketball. He also enjoyed other activities, like chess. His high school nickname was "Jay Dubs." He even played junior varsity soccer and was named the state volleyball player of the year in his senior year.

In his senior year of basketball, Williams was a First Team All-State Player in New Jersey. He was also named the New Jersey Player of the Year. He earned national honors like Parade All-American and USA Today first team All-American. He also became a McDonald's All-American. In the McDonald's All-American Game, he scored 20 points.

During his last year of high school, he averaged 19 points, 7 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 for his basketball skills and his good grades (he had a 3.6 GPA).

College Success at Duke

At Duke, 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 in points. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year and National Freshman of the Year. He averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. He was also a first-team Freshman All-American.

In his second season, Williams started all 39 games. He led the Duke Blue Devils to the 2001 NCAA National Championship. He also won the NABC Player of the Year award. His 841 points broke a 49-year Duke record for points in a season. He led all tournament scorers with 25.7 points per game. Williams also set an NCAA Tournament record for three-pointers attempted (66). He made 132 three-point field goals that season, which is one of the highest totals in NCAA history.

He led the ACC in scoring with 21.6 points per game. This made him the first Duke player since 1989 to lead the league in scoring. His 6.1 assists per game were second in the league. He was also second in three-point field goal percentage (.427) and first in three-pointers made (3.4 per game).

In 2002, Williams was considered the best player in college basketball. He won both the Naismith Award and Wooden Award. He graduated from Duke in 2002 with a degree in Sociology. He finished his college career with 2,079 points, which was sixth all-time for Duke. His jersey number 22 was retired by Duke.

Professional Career

Playing for the Chicago Bulls (2002–2004)

The Chicago Bulls chose Williams as the second overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He was picked after Yao Ming. Williams was a starting player for the Bulls for most of the 2002–03 NBA season. He showed some good moments, even getting a triple-double in a game against the New Jersey Nets. His last NBA game was on April 15, 2003. In that game, he scored 14 points and had 7 assists.

Motorcycle Accident

On June 19, 2003, Williams was in a motorcycle accident in Chicago. He was not wearing a helmet. He also did not have a license to ride a motorcycle in Illinois. Riding a motorcycle was against the rules of his NBA contract with the Bulls.

Williams suffered serious injuries to his leg and pelvis. He needed a lot of physical therapy to recover. Because of his severe injuries, the Bulls decided to release him from the team. Even though they didn't have to, the Bulls gave Williams $3 million to help with his recovery costs. Williams apologized to the Bulls for breaking his contract rules and getting hurt. 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 in the NBA Development League. But he only played in three games for the team. On December 30, 2006, the Toros released him due to his injuries. After this, Williams decided he would not try to play basketball professionally again.

Representing Team USA

During his playing career, Jay Williams also played for the USA national basketball team. He was part of the team that finished 6th at the 2002 FIBA World Cup. This tournament was held in Indianapolis. In seven games, Williams averaged 3.9 points and 1.6 assists.

Life After Basketball

Williams on ESPN in January 2011

Jay Williams now works for ESPN as an NBA analyst. Before this, he covered college basketball for the network. He also gives motivational speeches. From 2007 to 2009, he worked as a recruiter for a sports agency.

In 2016, Williams wrote his autobiography called Life Is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention. He is also a spokesperson for Visions Federal Credit Union. He was an announcer in the video game NBA Live 19.

In May 2020, an article mentioned that Williams co-founded a company called Simatree. He also partly owns a restaurant called The CabinNYC. He advises a digital marketing agency and works with EPIC Insurance to help athletes and celebrities with their money.

In 2021, Williams started hosting a podcast series for NPR called The Limits with Jay Williams. He also co-hosted the "Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show" on ESPN Radio. This show was canceled in June 2023.

Personal Life

Jay Williams is a cousin of David Tyree, a former NFL wide receiver.

He is married to Nikki Bonacorsi. They have one daughter and one son.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

College Career

See also

In Spanish: Jay Williams para niños