Nigel Williams-Goss facts for kids
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Williams-Goss with Findlay Prep in 2012
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| No. 1 – Žalgiris Kaunas | ||||||||||||||
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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 | LKL 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 | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Olympiacos | |||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Nigel Williams-Goss, born on September 16, 1994, is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a point guard, which is like the team's main ball-handler and play-maker. He currently plays for Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania and also in the EuroLeague, a top European basketball league. The Utah Jazz picked him in the 2017 NBA draft. Before becoming a pro, he played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Washington Huskies. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Nigel Williams-Goss played high school basketball at Findlay Prep in 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.
In 2011, MaxPreps, a sports website, recognized him as an honorable mention All-American. The next year, he helped Findlay Prep win another national championship. He averaged 15 points, 4.9 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. MaxPreps then named him a third-team All-American.
During his senior year, Nigel averaged over 18 points and 7 assists per game. He led Findlay Prep to 54 wins in a row. His team finished the season with a 35-1 record. He was named to MaxPreps' first-team All-American team. He also made the Parade All-America team.
Nigel was chosen for the famous 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. This game features the best high school players in the country. He scored 10 points and had 6 assists in the game. He also won the 3-point contest during the event. Nigel was also invited to the Jordan Brand Classic. In that game, he helped his team win by stealing the ball and scoring the game-winning basket. He finished with 17 points.
College Basketball Career
Nigel Williams-Goss played college basketball for two different teams. He started at the University of Washington with the Huskies. Later, he transferred to play for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Playing for Washington Huskies
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 also set a new record for freshmen at Washington with 140 assists in one season.
In his first college game, he scored 6 points and had 6 assists. Later, he scored 22 points 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 against Oregon State.
In his second year, Nigel continued to lead the Huskies. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. He also grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game. He was named to the second-team All-Pac-12. He was also recognized for his excellent grades, earning a spot on the Academic All-American team. The Huskies started the season strong with 11 wins in a row. However, they struggled later in the season.
Transferring to Gonzaga
In April 2015, Nigel decided to leave Washington. He wanted to transfer to another school. He felt uncomfortable with changes happening in the program. He also wanted to play for a team that won more consistently.
He considered several schools, including UNLV, Texas, and Gonzaga. After visiting Gonzaga, he decided to commit there. He had to sit out the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules. This is called "redshirting." He chose Gonzaga because they were good at helping players improve during their redshirt year. He also liked their winning record and fast-paced offense.
Success with Gonzaga Bulldogs
Nigel had his best college season during his only year playing for Gonzaga. He played in 38 games. He scored more points and had better shooting percentages than ever before. He also had more rebounds and steals per game.
He earned many awards that year. He was named the West Coast Conference's Newcomer of the Year. He was also the West Coast Conference's Player of the Year. He made the All-West Coast Conference First Team and the Academic All-American First Team. He was also named a consensus All-American Second Team player.
Nigel helped lead the Gonzaga Bulldogs to an amazing 37-2 record. They reached the NCAA Championship game for the first time in school history. They played against the North Carolina Tar Heels but lost 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 Williams-Goss in the NBA draft. He was the 55th player chosen. After playing for the Jazz in the NBA Summer League, he signed a two-year contract with a Serbian team called Partizan.
In February 2018, Nigel led Partizan to win the Serbian 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 for Partizan.
In July 2018, Nigel signed a three-year deal with Olympiacos, a Greek team that plays in the EuroLeague. He played there for one season.
Time with the Utah Jazz
In July 2019, Nigel Williams-Goss decided to leave Olympiacos. He used a special option in his contract to join the Utah Jazz in the NBA. He played for the Jazz during the 2019-2020 season.
Playing in Russia and Spain
In January 2021, Nigel signed with a Russian team called Lokomotiv Kuban. He played there for a short time.
In June 2021, Nigel signed a two-year contract with Real Madrid. This is a very strong team in Spain and the EuroLeague. In 2023, he became a EuroLeague champion with Real Madrid. He also won the Spanish League championship in 2022 and two Spanish Supercups. He left Real Madrid in June 2023.
Return to Olympiacos and Move to Žalgiris Kaunas
In June 2023, Nigel returned to Olympiacos for a second time. He signed a two-year contract. He played there until June 2025.
On June 25, 2025, Nigel Williams-Goss signed a contract with Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania. He will play for them in the Lithuanian Basketball League and the EuroLeague.
Playing for Team USA
Nigel Williams-Goss has also represented the United States in international basketball. He helped the USA team win a gold medal in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. This tournament took place in the Czech Republic. He averaged 7.9 points and 2.7 assists per game during the competition. He shot very well, making 49.1% of his shots from the field.
Career Achievements and Awards
Nigel Williams-Goss has earned many awards and achievements throughout his career:
- EuroLeague champion (2023)
- Spanish League champion (2022)
- 2× Spanish Supercup winner (2021, 2022)
- Greek League champion (2025)
- Greek Cup winner (2024)
- 2× Greek Supercup winner (2023, 2024)
- Serbian Cup winner (2018)
- Serbian Cup MVP (2018)
- Serbian League MVP (2018)
- 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)
- McDonald's All-American (2013)
- First-team Parade All-American (2013)
See also
In Spanish: Nigel Williams-Goss para niños
