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 on April 16, 1970, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He was known as a great shooter and a versatile player, standing 6 feet 8 inches tall. Williams played college basketball at 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 Years
Williams grew up in Temple Hills, Maryland. He went to Crossland High School before starting his college basketball journey.
College Basketball Career
Williams joined the University of Maryland basketball team in 1988. This was a challenging time for the team. The program was facing big problems from past rule violations. Despite these issues, Williams decided to stay and play for the new coach, Gary Williams. His choice was a huge help for the coach. It allowed the team to start rebuilding from scratch.
Williams became a star player in college. In his senior year (1991–92), he was named to the Associated Press All-America Second Team. He set a school record by scoring 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 single-season scoring record at Maryland with 776 points.
Playing in the NBA
The Sacramento Kings picked Williams as the seventh player in the 1992 NBA draft. He was also named to the 1992–93 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Williams played for 11 seasons in the NBA. He played for several teams, including the Kings, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks.
Williams is known for his excellent three-point shooting. He ranks third in Houston Rockets history with a 3-point percentage of .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 event was part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.
Williams was famous for wearing his socks pulled up to his knees. He did this to honor his childhood hero, George Gervin. This style was also popular among young people in the Washington D.C. area at that time.
In June 2018, Williams and another former Maryland basketball player, Tony Massenburg, wrote a book together. The book is called Lessons From Lenny. It talks about how the death of Len Bias affected their lives and basketball choices.
Playing for the National Team
Williams also played for the United States national team. He was part of the US team at the 1991 Pan American Games. The team won a bronze medal in the competition.
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 the famous actress Whoopi Goldberg.
Walt Williams also appeared in a music video. He was in the video for the number one song "Only Wanna Be with You" by the band Hootie & the Blowfish.
Life After Basketball
After he stopped playing in the NBA, Williams moved to Brookeville, Maryland. He and his wife, April, had three sons there. He became a coach for his sons' basketball team at Sherwood High School.
See also
In Spanish: Walt Williams para niños
