Will Solomon facts for kids
Solomon with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2005
|
|
| Point guard / shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 20, 1978 Hartford, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | East Hartford (Hartford, Connecticut) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Clemson (1998–2001) |
| NBA Draft | 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 33rd overall |
| Selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies | |
| Pro career | 2001–2019 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2002 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2002–2003 | Aris Thessaloniki |
| 2003–2004 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2004–2005 | Efes Pilsen |
| 2005–2006 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2006–2008 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2008–2009 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2009 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2009 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2010–2011 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2011–2012 | Cherkaski Mavpy |
| 2012–2013 | Mersin BB |
| 2013–2017 | Shark Antibes |
| 2018-2019 | AS Salé |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
William James Solomon (born July 20, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and played as a point guard or shooting guard. Solomon played in the NBA for parts of three seasons. He also spent three seasons playing in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
Contents
Will Solomon's Early Basketball Career
High School Success
Will Solomon first became known for his basketball skills at East Hartford High School in East Hartford, Connecticut. He set many school records there. He is part of several special groups for basketball players at his school.
These groups include "1000 Career Points" and "All State." He is also the only person from his school in the "NBA Draft" club.
College Years at Clemson
After high school, Solomon continued his basketball journey at Clemson University. He played for the Clemson Tigers team. In his third year, he was named to the first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In his final year, he made the second-team All-ACC.
Will Solomon's Professional Basketball Journey
Starting in the NBA
Solomon decided to enter the 2001 NBA draft after his junior year at Clemson. The Vancouver Grizzlies picked him in the second round. He was the 32nd player chosen overall.
Solomon played for the Grizzlies during the 2001–02 season. In 62 games, he scored about 5.2 points per game. He also had 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game.
Moving to Europe
After one year in the NBA, Solomon moved to Europe. In 2003, he signed with the Greek team Aris Thessaloniki. That year, he helped them win the FIBA EuroCup Challenge. This was a European basketball competition.
After playing in Greece for a year, Solomon moved to Israel. He joined Hapoel Jerusalem. With this team, he won another European title, the ULEB Cup, in 2004. This was a higher-level European competition. In Israel, people often called him "The Fish" because his last name sounds like "Salmon" in Hebrew.
Playing in Turkey and Israel
For the 2004–05 season, Solomon moved to Turkey. He signed with Efes Pilsen. This was his first time playing in the EuroLeague, a top European basketball league. Solomon helped Efes Pilsen win the Turkish championship that year.
The next season, Solomon returned to Israel. He signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv. This team had won the European championship for the past two seasons. They almost won a third EuroLeague title but lost in the final game.
After this, he went back to Istanbul and joined Fenerbahçe. This team had a large budget and a spot in the EuroLeague. Fans of Fenerbahçe called him 'King Solomon'. He helped the team win two championships.
Return to the NBA and Later Career
On July 28, 2008, the Toronto Raptors signed Solomon. Later, on February 19, 2009, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. This was part of a three-team trade. Soon after joining the Kings, Will Solomon was released from his contract.
Solomon's last NBA game was on April 3, 2009. He played for 3 minutes in a game against the Phoenix Suns.
On April 9, 2009, the Turkish champions Fenerbahçe brought him back to their team. However, he was released from his contract on November 7, 2009.
In August 2010, he returned to Israel again. He signed a one-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem. In the summer of 2011, he signed with the Ukrainian team Cherkaski Mavpy.
In October 2012, he signed with Mersin BB in the Turkish Basketball League. In November 2013, he signed with the French team Shark Antibes.
Career Statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
NBA Statistics
Regular Season Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Memphis | 62 | 4 | 14.1 | .341 | .284 | .671 | 1.1 | 1.5 | .6 | .1 | 5.2 |
| 2008–09 | Toronto | 39 | 9 | 13.9 | .436 | .263 | .833 | 1.1 | 3.2 | .5 | .1 | 4.9 |
| 2008–09 | Sacramento | 14 | 0 | 12.0 | .406 | .448 | .500 | 1.5 | .7 | .5 | .0 | 5.0 |
| Career | 115 | 13 | 13.8 | .378 | .298 | .692 | 1.1 | 2.0 | .5 | .1 | 5.1 | |
EuroLeague Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Efes Pilsen | 23 | 23 | 30.3 | .433 | .348 | .785 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 | .3 | 14.5 | 14.0 |
| 2005–06 | Maccabi | 25 | 23 | 32.2 | .464 | .386 | .798 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.0 | .2 | 15.0 | 13.6 |
| 2006–07 | Fenerbahçe | 11 | 10 | 32.1 | .422 | .388 | .889 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1.9 | .3 | 13.6 | 11.6 |
| 2007–08 | Fenerbahçe | 21 | 21 | 31.1 | .466 | .378 | .818 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 1.7 | .1 | 17.9 | 18.0 |
| 2009–10 | Fenerbahçe | 2 | 2 | 26.3 | .333 | .250 | .800 | 1.0 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | 9.0 | 3.5 |
| Career | 82 | 79 | 31.2 | .448 | .370 | .806 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.9 | .2 | 15.3 | 14.4 | |
See also
In Spanish: Will Solomon para niños
