Latavious Williams facts for kids

Latavious Williams (born March 29, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for Al-Ittihad Jeddah in the Saudi Basketball League (SBL).

After finishing high school, Latavious played for the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA Development League. He was later picked by the Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA draft. His draft rights were then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he continued to play in the D-League, which is like a minor league for the NBA.

Latavious Williams made history as the first player to skip college basketball. Instead, he played a year in the D-League before being drafted into the NBA. He was also the first player to join the D-League straight from high school.

About Latavious Williams

Latavious Williams was born in Starkville, Mississippi, in the United States.

His High School Journey

Latavious played basketball for four years at Starkville High School. In his final year, he was a star player. He averaged almost 20 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game. He helped his team reach the state semi-finals.

After Starkville, he needed to complete more courses to be eligible for college sports. So, he attended Christian Life Center Academy in Humble, Texas. There, he continued to play well, averaging 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Deciding Against College Basketball

Latavious was a top basketball recruit in 2009. He first planned to play college basketball at the University of Memphis. However, he faced challenges with academic requirements. Because of this, he decided not to play college basketball.

Instead, he chose to play professionally right away. NBA rules usually require players to be one year out of high school before being drafted. Latavious decided to play in the D-League to gain experience. This was a unique path, similar to how Brandon Jennings played in Italy before joining the NBA.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting in the D-League (2009–2011)

Latavious Williams received offers from teams overseas, some worth a lot of money. But his family decided it was better for him to stay in the U.S. He chose to play in the D-League, which is the NBA's official minor league. Even though the pay was less, he believed it would give him more exposure.

He was drafted 16th overall by the Tulsa 66ers in the D-League Draft. This made him the first player ever drafted into the D-League directly from high school. He couldn't be called up to the NBA that season because of the rules.

During his first season, he was a backup player for the 66ers. He averaged 7.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He helped his team reach the D-League Finals.

In 2010, Latavious was eligible for the 2010 NBA draft. The Miami Heat drafted him with the 48th pick. This was a big moment, as he was the first player to go from the D-League to the NBA draft without playing college basketball. His draft rights were soon traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for the Thunder in the 2010 NBA Summer League. However, he did not get a contract with the Thunder. He returned to the Tulsa 66ers for the 2010–11 season. He continued to play well, averaging 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds.

Playing in Spain and Beyond (2011–2017)

In 2011, Latavious signed a contract with FIATC Joventut, a Spanish team. He had a great season there, earning "Most Spectacular Player" honors in the Spanish League. He also averaged 9.6 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Over the next few years, Latavious played for several teams around the world:

• He briefly played for Metros de Santiago in the Dominican Republic.
• He joined Brose Baskets in Germany.
• He played for Cajasol Sevilla in Spain for two seasons.
• In 2014, he returned to Metros de Santiago.
• He then signed with Bilbao Basket in Spain.
• In 2015, he played for Vaqueros de Bayamón in Puerto Rico.
• From 2015 to 2017, he played for UNICS Kazan in Russia.
• In 2017, he played for Bucaneros de La Guaira in Venezuela.

Recent Career (2017–Present)

Latavious continued his journey playing for various international teams:

• In 2017, he signed with Valencia Basket in Spain.
• In 2018, he joined Igokea in Bosnia. He helped them win the Bosnian Cup in 2019.
• Later in 2019, he played for Tecnyconta Zaragoza in Spain.
• He then moved to Israel, playing for Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Tel Aviv. He had some impressive games, including a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds in his debut for Hapoel Holon.
• From 2020 to 2022, he played in South Korea for Anyang KGC and Jeonju KCC Egis.
• In 2022, he played for Kazma in Kuwait.
• Since 2023, he has been playing for Al-Ittihad Jeddah in the Saudi Basketball League.

Career Statistics

Domestic leagues

See also

In Spanish: Latavious Williams para niños