Scott Christopher Williams (born March 21, 1968) is a retired American 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 in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). Standing at 6' 10", he was capable of playing as a

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

or a

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. Williams contributed off the bench during the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat championships (1991–93) early in his professional career. He developed into a front-court reserve during his fifteen seasons in the NBA, where he was known for his hustle and strong defense. Since his retirement, Williams has coached in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

and

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

as well as commentating for a variety of NBA teams. Williams is currently the color analyst for the

Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball The Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team represents Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. They are a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). they are led by head coach Bryce Drew and play their home games at the GCU Arena ...

team.

Early life and college career

Williams attended and played basketball for

Glen A. Wilson High School Glen A. Wilson High School is a public high school located in Hacienda Heights, California. It is one of two high schools located in the unincorporated community, and one of four in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District. Wilson was ranke ...

in Hacienda Heights, California. He led the 1986 squad to the 1986 C.I.F State Championship Title. Williams was named a McDonald's All-American in 1986. He enrolled at the University of North Carolina. Williams' parents died on October 15, 1987, when his father shot and killed his mother in their garage, then turned the gun on himself. He was 19 years old, and was in his

sophomore year In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

; coach

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...

notified him of the tragedy. Growing up, Williams was a passionate

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

fan.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, 36 , , 1 , , 15.0 , , .497 , , .000 , , .558 , , 4.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 33 , , 26.5 , , .572 , , .429 , , .673 , , 6.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 35 , , 30 , , 22.9 , , .556 , , .000 , , .654 , , 7.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.9 , , 1.4 , , 11.4 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 30 , , 24.6 , , .554 , , .143 , , .615 , , 7.3 , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 14.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 138 , , 94 , , 22.1 , , .551 , , .235 , , .633 , , 6.2 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 10.9

Professional career

Undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

after four years in college, Williams signed with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

in 1990, playing four seasons with the team, mostly as a reserve, and winning three championship rings in his first three

seasons. On 7 June 1991, in game 3 of the finals against the Lakers, in

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' ...

, he scored four points (all from the

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...

line), grabbed two

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and handed out two assists in only 11 minutes of play, in an eventual 104–96

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), ...

win. On February 16, 1994, Williams scored a career-high 22 points in a 109-101 loss against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

. In 1994, Williams signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

, where he played for 4½ injury-plagued seasons before being traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in 1999. His career saw a resurgence of sorts in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, where he averaged career-highs of 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds during the 1999–2000 season. On December 15, of that season, Williams scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a win against the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. While in Milwaukee, Williams was a fan-favorite of Bucks fans, and was considered a key part of the 2001 Bucks team that made it to the conference finals before losing to his former team, Philadelphia. Williams was controversially suspended for Game 7 of Eastern Conference Finals series when a flagrant one foul was upgraded to a flagrant two foul after the game had ended, and the Bucks went on to lose the final game. Until his retirement in 2005, at the age of 37, he also appeared for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

(one ½ seasons), the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

(27 games) and the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. During his final season, he became LeBron James' oldest teammate and the only one born in the 1960s.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1990–91† , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 51 , , 0 , , 6.6 , , .510 , , .500 , , .714 , , 1.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1991–92† , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 63 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .483 , , .000 , , .649 , , 3.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1992–93† , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 71 , , 5 , , 19.3 , , .466 , , .000 , , .714 , , 6.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.9 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 38 , , 11 , , 16.8 , , .483 , , .200 , , .612 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 77 , , 43 , , 23.1 , , .475 , , .000 , , .738 , , 6.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 6.4 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" ,

, 13 , , 1 , , 14.8 , , .517 , , .000 , , .833 , , 3.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 3.1 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 52 , , 21.2 , , .509 , , .000 , , .691 , , 6.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 5.8 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

, 58 , , 7 , , 13.8 , , .437 , , .000 , , .810 , , 3.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 4.1 , - , align="left" , 1998–99 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , 1998-99 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 5.8 , , .333 , , .000 , , .571 , , 2.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 68 , , 46 , , 21.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .729 , , 6.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 66 , , 31 , , 19.3 , , .474 , , .250 , , .857 , , 5.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 41 , , 16 , , 18.0 , , .396 , , .000 , , .732 , , 5.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 69 , , 33 , , 12.6 , , .411 , , .000 , , .786 , , 2.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 10 , , 16.7 , , .525 , , 1.000 , , .692 , , 4.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 27 , , 11 , , 9.6 , , .435 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 19 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .293 , , .000 , , .818 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 746 , , 266 , , 16.4 , , .467 , , .111 , , .721 , , 4.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 5.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1990–91† , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 12 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .462 , , .000 , , .550 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1991–92† , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, style="background:#cfecec;" , 22* , , 0 , , 14.6 , , .486 , , .000 , , .714 , , 4.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.8 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , 1992–93† , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 19 , , 0 , , 20.8 , , .506 , , .000 , , .552 , , 5.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 15.1 , , .421 , , .000 , , .714 , , 3.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 18.6 , , style="background:#cfecec;" , .639* , , .000 , , .833 , , 5.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 1.0 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 17 , , 22.2 , , .492 , , .000 , , .571 , , 7.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 1.4 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 13.8 , , .344 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 94 , , 23 , , 16.0 , , .480 , , .000 , , .634 , , 4.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 5.2

Post-retirement

Subsequently, Williams accepted the Cavaliers' offer to become a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...

for the team's telecasts on

FSN Ohio Bally Sports Ohio is an American regional sports network owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and is operated as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of sports events in the state of Ohio, with a focus on professio ...

, beginning in 2005–06, and working alongside

Michael Reghi Michael Joseph Reghi (pronounced ) (born June 5, 1953) is an American television play-by-play announcer and radio sports talk show host. He was the television play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 20 ...

. After two seasons, on 20 October 2007, the

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

reported he would join the

' commentary team.Williams to offer insights
JS Online, 20 October 2007 Besides doing pre and post-game analysis for home games, he also called some games while a popular

email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...

er on the

Tony Kornheiser Anthony Irwin Kornheiser (; born July 13, 1948) is an American television sports talk show host and former sportswriter and columnist. Kornheiser is best known for his endeavors in three forms of media: as a writer for ''The Washington Post'' from ...

radio show. In 2008, Williams became a color commentator for another former team, the

, broadcasting with Tom Leander and

Gary Bender Gary Nedrow Bender (born September 1, 1940) is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona after 18 years calling the NBA's Phoenix Suns g ...

. During the 2012–13 season, Williams was an assistant coach for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League. Prior to the 2013–14 season, Williams was hired as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks under Larry Drew. As of the 2014-15 season, Williams serves as the analyst for

games on Fox 10 Extra, alongside play-by-play announcer Barry Buetel.

References

External links

NBA.com profileOfficial Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Scott 1968 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from California Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Dallas Mavericks players Denver Nuggets players McDonald's High School All-Americans Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches Milwaukee Bucks players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Hacienda Heights, California Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns announcers Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Undrafted National Basketball Association players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople