Marcus Darrell Williams (born December 3, 1985) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played with numerous teams across Europe and Asia. Standing at , he plays the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

position. He was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft by the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Prior to becoming professional player, he played college basketball for the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

(UConn).

High school and college

Williams attended and played for

Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls arou ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California for his 9th, 10th, and 11th years, and transferred to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) for his 12th year (2002–2003). During his freshman year at

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

, Williams was suspended for part of the season because of poor grades. As a sophomore in the 2004–05 season, Williams averaged 9.6 points and 7.8 assists a game. He was named Big East Conference Most Improved Player. In his junior year, he was kicked off the men's basketball team for several months, for attempting to sell stolen laptop computers along with teammate A. J. Price. Williams averaged 12.3 points, 8.6 assists, and shot 86% from the free throw line. In a game against Notre Dame, he recorded the sixth

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

in UConn history with 18 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. In the 2006 NCAA tourney, he averaged 20 points, 8.8 assists, while shooting 52% from the field, 56% from three-point range, and 96% from the free throw line. Williams scored a career-high 26 points in a memorable 98–92

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

Sweet 16 win against Washington on March 24, 2006.

Professional career

NBA career

New Jersey Nets (2006–2008)

Williams was selected 22nd overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the

, using the pick they got from the Denver Nuggets in a trade for Kenyon Martin. Former teammates Josh Boone,

Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6'8" forward played college basketball for the University of Connecticut before being d ...

Hilton Armstrong Hilton Julius Armstrong, Jr. (born November 11, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player and current member of the Golden State Warriors coaching staff who last played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of the B.League. During his ...

, and

Denham Brown Denham Washington Brown (born January 6, 1983) is a Canadian former professional basketball player. High school Brown attended Bathurst Heights Secondary School in Toronto, and led the school's AAA basketball team to the Ontario provincial champ ...

were also selected, with all but Brown being first-round picks. Marcus Williams was named to the Rookie team for the 2007

T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...

Rookie Challenge at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend. As a rookie in 2006–07, Williams played in 79 games, averaging 6.8 ppg and 3.3 apg.

Golden State Warriors (2008–2009)

On July 22, 2008, Marcus Williams was traded by the Nets to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

for a conditional first-round pick. On March 10, 2009, he was released by the team.

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2010)

In July 2009, Williams began playing on the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

Summer League team in Las Vegas, Nevada. He joined 2009 first-round pick

Hasheem Thabeet Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka on 16 February 1987) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for UConn before being drafted sec ...

, undrafted rookie free agent

Jeff Adrien Jeff Adrien (born February 10, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for San Lorenzo de Almagro of the Liga Nacional de Básquet, Argentina. He formerly served as captain for the University of Connecticut Huskies, where he played as ...

, and

as one of four former

UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's foo ...

on the Grizzlies' Summer League roster. On August 7, 2009, Williams officially signed with the Grizzlies.

International career

Piratas de Quebradillas (2009)

Williams signed with

Piratas de Quebradillas The Piratas de Quebradillas is a Puerto Rican basketball team, part of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. Founded in the mid 1920s, it is one of the original teams of the league. The club enjoyed its most successful era during the 1970s, ...

of the Puerto Rican Basketball League (BSN) in late March 2009. During the first half of the season, Williams averaged 15.0 points per game, 5.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists. He had registered one triple-double and was the league-leader in assists. He was also selected to play in the league's All-Star game and won the game's MVP award, as well as winning the Skills Contest. He also finished the season earning All-BSN First Team honors with teammate

Peter John Ramos Peter John Ramos Fuentes (born May 23, 1985) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player and professional wrestler. He is the sixth athlete from Puerto Rico to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the third drafted ...

, and helping the Pirates to the best record in the league. Because he went to the

' summer league team and left the Pirates, he missed the league finals, and the Pirates lost the championship.

Enisey Krasnoyark (2010–2011)

In August 2010, Williams signed a one-year contract with the Russian team

Enisey Krasnoyarsk BC Enisey (russian: БК Енисей) is a Russian professional basketball team from the city of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia. Since the 2011–12 season, Enisey plays its national domestic league games in the VTB United League. The team colors ...

. Quickly becoming leader of his new team, Williams helped Enisey qualify to playoff for the first time in club's history. In quarterfinals Enisey lost series to Lokomotiv-Kuban (1:2). Williams was named "Player of the Month" in Russian PBL League in November and December. He was also selected All-Star 2nd team. Williams finished season with 14.8 points per game and as league's best in total assists (184) and assist per game (6.8).

Jiangsu Dragons (2011–2012)

In late November 2011, Williams signed a contract with the

Jiangsu Dragons Jiangsu Dragons Kentier (), also known as Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Kentier, are a Chinese professional basketball team in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu. History In the 2004–05 seaso ...

of China. In 25 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 25.8 minutes.

Unicaja Málaga (2012–2013)

In 2012, Williams signed a one-year contract with the Spanish team

Unicaja Málaga Unicaja is a Spanish savings bank based in Málaga and chartered as a caja de ahorros providing retail banking services. The banks full name is ''Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, Cádiz, Almería, Málaga y Antequera'' after th ...

. In 53 games, he averaged 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.2 minutes.

Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar (2013–2014)

On August 19, 2013, Williams signed a contract with the Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar. In 47 games, he averaged 9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 25.6 minutes.

Crvena zvezda (2014–2015)

On August 15, 2014, Williams signed a one-year deal with Serbian team

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional Association football, foot ...

. On November 22, 2014, in a game against

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

, Williams set a Euroleague record for the most assists in a single game (17). He also added 8 points while shooting just 3–16 from the field. However, his team lost after double overtime with 110–103. With Crvena zvezda, he won the

Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mac ...

championship, the

Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...

championship and the

Radivoj Korać Cup The Radivoj Korać Cup ( sr, Куп Радивоја Кораћа / Kup Radivoja Koraća) is the men's national basketball cup of Serbia. It is run by the Basketball Federation of Serbia and is named after a Serbian basketball legend and FIBA Ha ...

. On November 3, 2015, he re-signed with Crvena zvezda, but on December 28, 2015, he and the team parted ways.

Budućnost Podgorica (2016–2017)

On July 27, 2016, Williams signed with Montenegrin club Budućnost Podgorica for the 2016–17 season. On March 26, 2017, he was released by Budućnost. In 27 league games, he averaged 10.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 25.4 minutes, while averaging 12.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 27. minutes in 7 Eurocup games.

Cholet Basket (2017)

On 29 March 2017, Williams signed with

Cholet Basket Cholet Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Cholet, France. The club plays in the French League. Their home arena is La Meilleraie. Established in 1975, Cholet won its first French championship in the 2009–10 season. In 1 ...

for the rest of the season. In 9 games, he averaged, 8.3 points, 2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 23.1 minutes.

Reno Bighorns (2017–2018)

On September 26, 2017 Williams signed with the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On October 10, 2017, he was waived by the Kings after appearing in two pre-season games. On October 21, he signed with the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, where he averaged 10.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 26.6 minutes in 49 games.

Second Stint with Piratas de Quebradillas (2018)

On April 26, 2018, Williams was reported to have signed with Piratas de Quebradillas of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

Stockton Kings (2018–2019)

For the 2018–19 season, Williams re-joined the G League with the Stockton Kings. On February 5, 2019, Williams was suspended for five games without pay for violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, 79 , , 2 , , 16.6 , , .395 , , .282 , , .847 , , 2.1 , , 3.3 , , .4 , , .0 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 53 , , 7 , , 16.1 , , .379 , , .380 , , .787 , , 1.9 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 9 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .235 , , .333 , , .333 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 62 , , 1 , , 14.1 , , .384 , , .296 , , .673 , , 1.5 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .0 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 203 , , 10 , , 15.2 , , .386 , , .321 , , .767 , , 1.8 , , 2.8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.6

Playoffs

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, 12 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .333 , , .077 , , .800 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 12 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .333 , , .077 , , .800 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.4

Euroleague

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Unicaja Unicaja is a Spanish savings bank based in Málaga and chartered as a caja de ahorros providing retail banking services. The banks full name is ''Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, Cádiz, Almería, Málaga y Antequera'' after the n ...

, 24 , , 5 , , 21.7 , , .362 , , .371 , , .667 , , 2.7 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .0 , , 10.5 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Lokomotiv , 24 , , 10 , , 23.0 , , .331 , , .278 , , .756 , , 2.2 , , 3.8 , , .3 , , .0 , , 7.3 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 23 , , 25.8 , , .317 , , .292 , , .755 , , 3.2 , , 6.1 , , .8 , , .0 , , 9.7 , , 10.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 72 , , 38 , , 25.5 , , .337 , , .318 , , .723 , , 2.7 , , 4.4 , , .6 , , .0 , , 8.9 , , 9.0