Walt Williams facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | April 16, 1970 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| High school | Crossland (Temple Hills, Maryland) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 219 lb (99 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Maryland (1988–1992) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1992 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1992–2003 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | Miami Heat | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Toronto Raptors | |||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 8,385 (11.8 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| 3-Pointers Made | 976 | |||||||||||||
| 3P% | .379 | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Walter Ander "the Wizard" Williams (born April 16, 1970) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He was known as a great shooter. Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall, Williams played as a swingman. He went to the University of Maryland from 1988 to 1992. Many people say he helped make the school's basketball program strong again.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Williams grew up in Temple Hills, Maryland. He went to Crossland High School there.
College Basketball Career
Williams joined the University of Maryland basketball team in 1988. This was a challenging time for the team. Their star player, Len Bias, had passed away a few years earlier. The team was also dealing with some problems from past coaches.
Instead of leaving, Williams decided to stay at Maryland. He played for the new coach, Gary Williams. This was a huge help for Coach Williams. He was trying to rebuild the team from scratch. Walt Williams helped bring new energy and success to the program.
In his senior year (1991–92), Williams was named to the Associated Press All-America Second Team. He had an amazing season, scoring a school-record 26.8 points per game. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 steals. Williams scored 20 or more points in 19 games in a row. He broke the school record for most points in a single season, scoring 776 points that year.
Playing in the NBA
The Sacramento Kings chose Williams as the seventh pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He was also named to the 1992–93 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He played for 11 seasons in the NBA. During his career, he played for several teams. These included the Kings, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks.
Williams is third in the history of the Houston Rockets for his 3-point shooting percentage, at .393. He scored double-digit points in six of his eight NBA seasons. In total, he scored 8,385 points during his professional career.
In 1997, Williams took part in the AT&T Shootout. This was during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.
Williams was known for wearing his socks pulled up to his knees. He did this to honor his childhood hero, George Gervin. This style was also popular with young people in the Washington D.C. area at the time.
In June 2018, Williams and another former Maryland basketball player, Tony Massenburg, wrote a book together. It's called Lessons From Lenny. The book shares how the passing of Len Bias affected their lives and their basketball choices. The book also includes stories from other famous basketball figures.
Playing for the National Team
Williams played for the United States team in the 1991 Pan American Games. He helped his team win a bronze medal in basketball.
Other Activities and Interests
While playing in the NBA, Williams started a scholarship fund. It was for $125,000 at the University of Maryland. This fund helps minority students and honors his late father, Walter Sr.
Today, Williams works as a sideline reporter. He reports for radio broadcasts of University of Maryland men's basketball games.
Appearing in Movies and Music Videos
In 1996, Williams appeared in the movie Eddie. The film starred Whoopi Goldberg.
Walt Williams also appeared in a music video. It was for the popular song "Only Wanna Be with You" by the band Hootie & the Blowfish.
Personal Life
After he stopped playing in the NBA, Williams moved to Brookeville, Maryland. He and his wife, April, had three sons there. He later became a coach for his sons' basketball team at Sherwood High School.
See also
In Spanish: Walt Williams para niños
