Frank Lowell Williams (born February 25, 1980) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. As a point guard, Williams was drafted out of the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

with the 25th overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. In 2004, Williams was named to the University of Illinois All-Century Team.

High school career

Williams attended Manual High School in Peoria, Illinois, where he was a member of one of the most heralded teams in the nation. Williams led Peoria Manual to the final two of four consecutive IHSA class AA boys state basketball tournaments, in 1996 as a sophomore and again in 1997 as a junior. In both tournaments, Williams was named to the five-player All-Tournament team. As a senior, Williams was named the 1998

Illinois Mr. Basketball The Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois. Most of the award winners have gone on to play at the highest levels of college basketball, and many have ...

College career

After high school, Williams attended the

, and played three seasons for the

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

under head coach Bill Self, leading the team to a string of NCAA Tournament appearances. After the 2000-2001 season, Williams was named the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

player of the year, and received the

Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball The Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball was an award presented annually by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the top men's and women's college basketball player of the Big Ten Conference. The ''Chicago Tribune'' awarded the Silver Basketball for men's basket ...

award. While at Illinois, Williams was re-united with high school teammates Marcus Griffin and

Sergio McClain Sergio McClain (born November 2, 1978) is a former professional basketball player and NJCAA coach. He was the 1997 winner of the Illinois Mr. Basketball award. High school career McClain attended Peoria Manual High School, and helped lead his ...

, (a.k.a. "The Peoria 3") where they earned a number one seed and eventually went to the Elite 8 in 2001. Williams' high school coach, Wayne McClain (Sergio's father) also was named assistant coach for the Illini during his time there. He was elected to the " Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004. In 2007, Williams was voted one of the "

100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) celebrated 100 years of the IHSA State Tournament in the 2006-07 season. A list of "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" was assembled on December 14, 2005. Throughout the state, 281 ind ...

," recognizing his superior performance in his appearance in the tournament.

Professional career

The New York Knicks acquired Williams in a draft-day trade in 2002 from the Denver Nuggets. He played sparingly in his first season, but found a bit more time on the court during the first half of the 2003-04 season. Unfortunately, new GM Isiah Thomas then traded for star point guard

Stephon Marbury Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. After his freshman year with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected as th ...

, and Williams was relegated back to the end of the bench. 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 ...

acquired him as part of a multi-player trade in the next off-season, where Williams was popular due to his time with the Illini, and expected him to compete with

Kirk Hinrich Kirk James Hinrich ( born January 2, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He has also been a member of the USA National Team. Growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, Hinrich was exposed to basketball at an early age. His father, ...

for the starting point guard job, but he showed up to training camp out of shape and spent most of the 2004-05 season on injured reserve. Dissatisfied with his effort, Chicago announced that he would not be re-signed for the next season. Williams signed with the

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

on October 1, 2005 but was released four days later. Williams' final NBA game was on March 9th, 2005 in a 97 - 84 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

where he recorded he recorded no stats in 6 minutes of playing time. Williams played a total of 86 NBA games and averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 assists.

Personal

On June 10, 2009, Williams and his younger brother, Aaron, were arrested on drug charges at his Peoria, Illinois home after agents seized 55 grams of marijuana. Frank Williams was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, and accepted a plea deal of a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge and a $1,000 fine. Williams’ son, Da’Monte Williams, was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the University of Illinois basketball team.

Notes

External links

NBA Career Statistics at basketball-reference.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Frank 1980 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Chicago Bulls players Ciclista Olímpico players Denver Nuggets draft picks Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans New York Knicks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Scafati Basket players Sioux Falls Skyforce players Sportspeople from Peoria, Illinois Unión de Santa Fe basketball players