Nigel Williams-Goss facts for kids
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Williams-Goss with Findlay Prep in 2012
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| No. 1 – Olympiacos | ||||||||||||||
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| Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | September 16, 1994 Happy Valley, Oregon, U.S. |
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| High school | Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 191 lb (87 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 55th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2017–present | |||||||||||||
| League | Greek Basket League EuroLeague |
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| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Partizan | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Olympiacos | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | →Salt Lake City Stars | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | Lokomotiv Kuban | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Real Madrid | |||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Olympiacos | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Nigel Williams-Goss (born September 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a point guard for Olympiacos in Greece. This team is part of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. In 2017, the Utah Jazz picked him in the NBA draft. Before turning pro, he played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He also spent two seasons with the University of Washington's Huskies.
High School Basketball Journey
Nigel Williams-Goss played high school basketball at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. He was the first player to stay with the program for all four years. During his time there, his team had an amazing record of 124 wins and only 8 losses. They even won the High School National Championship in 2010 and 2012. Nigel was also a great student, keeping a perfect 4.0 GPA.
His skills on the court earned him many honors. In 2011, he was named an honorable mention All-American. The next year, he helped Findlay Prep win another championship. He averaged 15 points, 4.9 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. This led to him being named a third-team All-American.
In his senior year, Nigel was even better. He averaged over 18 points and 7 assists per game. He helped his team win 54 games in a row! They finished the season with a 35-1 record. He was named to the first-team All-American team. He also made the prestigious Parade Magazine's All-America team.
Nigel was chosen for the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. This game features the best high school seniors in the country. He scored 10 points and had 6 assists. He also won the 3-point contest during the event. Nigel was also invited to the Jordan Brand Classic. There, he helped his team win by scoring the game-winning basket. He finished that game with 17 points.
Choosing a College Team
In December 2010, Nigel first decided to play for UNLV. Many top colleges wanted him, like Arizona, Washington, and Oregon. But then, the UNLV coach left for another team. So, Nigel decided to look at other options again.
He still thought about UNLV, but also visited other schools. These included Harvard, Washington, Oklahoma, and Missouri. In May 2012, he decided to commit to the University of Washington. He officially signed with them later that year.
College Basketball Years
Playing for Washington
As a freshman at Washington, Nigel started every game. He averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. He led all freshmen in his conference in scoring and assists. He even set a new record for assists by a freshman at Washington. Despite his great play, the team had a tough season.
In his first college game, he had 6 points and 6 assists. Later, he scored 22 points in a win against Eastern Washington. On January 25, 2014, he set a new freshman scoring record for Washington. He scored 32 points in a comeback win against Oregon State. He also had a game with 10 assists and another with 12 rebounds.
In his second year, Nigel continued to lead the team. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. He was named second-team All-Pac-12. He was also a great student, earning a third-team Academic All-American award. The team started the year strong with 11 wins in a row. However, they struggled later in the season. Nigel had a career-high 12 rebounds in one game. He also dished out 12 assists in another game. He scored 30 points against Washington State and 31 points against Cal.
Moving to Gonzaga
In April 2015, Nigel decided to leave Washington. He felt uncomfortable with the changes happening with the team. He also wanted to play for a team that was winning more consistently.
He looked at several schools, including UNLV, Texas, and Gonzaga. After visiting Gonzaga, he decided to commit there. He had to sit out the 2015–16 season. This is called a "redshirt" year, where players practice but don't play in games. This helps them get ready for future seasons. Nigel liked that Gonzaga helped players improve during their redshirt year. He also liked their winning record and fast-paced offense.
His junior year, and only season at Gonzaga, was his best. He played 38 games and had his highest points, rebounds, and steals per game. He was named the West Coast Conference's Newcomer of The Year. He also won the West Coast Conference's Player of The Year. He was part of the All-West Coast Conference First Team. He was also an Academic All-American. Nigel helped the Gonzaga Bulldogs have an amazing 37 wins and only 2 losses. He led them to their first-ever NCAA Championship game. They lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in a close game. After the season, Nigel decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting in Europe
On June 23, 2017, the Utah Jazz picked Nigel as the 55th player in the 2017 NBA draft. After playing for the Jazz in a summer league, he signed a two-year contract. He joined a Serbian team called Partizan on August 28, 2017.
In February 2018, Nigel led Partizan to win the Serbian 2018 Radivoj Korać Cup. He scored 23 points and had 7 assists in the final game. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Serbian Cup. During the 2017–18 season, he averaged 17.3 points and 7 assists per game.
Playing for Olympiacos and the NBA
On July 5, 2018, Nigel signed a three-year deal with Olympiacos, a Greek team that plays in the EuroLeague. He played there for one season.
On July 15, 2019, Nigel decided to leave Olympiacos to join the Utah Jazz. He officially signed with the Jazz on July 19, 2019. He played a few games for the Jazz. He also spent some time playing for their minor league team, the Salt Lake City Stars.
Return to Europe
On January 5, 2021, Nigel signed with a Russian team called Lokomotiv Kuban.
Then, on June 16, 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Real Madrid. This is a very strong team in Spain and the EuroLeague. With Real Madrid, Nigel became a EuroLeague champion in 2023. He also won the Spanish league championship in 2022. He won two Spanish Supercups as well. He left the team in June 2023.
The very next day, on June 28, 2023, Nigel made his return to Olympiacos. He signed a two-year contract with his former Greek team.
Playing for Team USA
Nigel Williams-Goss has also played for the United States national team. He helped Team USA win a gold medal in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. This tournament was held in the Czech Republic. He averaged 7.9 points and 2.7 assists per game in the competition. He shot very well, especially from the free throw line.
Career Achievements and Awards
Professional Honors
- Serbian Cup Winner: (2018)
- Serbian Cup MVP: (2018)
- Greek All-Star: (2019)
- EuroLeague champion: (2023)
- Liga ACB champion: (2022)
- 2× Spanish Supercup winner: (2021, 2022)
- Greek Cup winner: (2024)
- 2× Greek Super Cup winner: (2023, 2024)
College Honors
- Consensus second-team All-American: (2017)
- WCC Player of the Year: (2017)
- First-team All-WCC: (2017)
- WCC Newcomer of the Year: (2017)
- WCC tournament MOP: (2017)
- Second-team All-Pac-12: (2015)
- Pac-12 All-Freshman Team: (2014)
High School Honors
- McDonald's All-American: (2013)
- First-team Parade All-American: (2013)
Images for kids
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Williams-Goss at the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
See also
In Spanish: Nigel Williams-Goss para niños
