Corey Paul "Homicide" Williams (born Carey Paul Williams; August 3, 1977 – May 10, 2024) was an American professional basketball player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for MCC–Penn Valley and Alabama State before gaining notoriety as a

streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

player in New York City. He played professionally for 17 years, including a four-year stint in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) between 2007 and 2011, where he earned NBL Most Valuable Player honors in 2010 with the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertain ...

Early life

Williams was born at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in

the Bronx, New York City The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Born as Carey Williams, he changed his name to Corey in middle school after being teased in elementary school. Due to poor grades in middle school, his mother moved him to Rice High School, an all-boys Catholic school in Harlem.

College career

Williams received no scholarship offers coming out of high school. He received an offer to play for MCC–Penn Valley Community College, a junior college in Kansas City. As a freshman in 1995–96, he helped Penn Valley win the NJCAA Division II men's basketball championship before being named a JUCO first-team All-American as a sophomore. In 1997, Williams joined the

Alabama State Hornets The Alabama State Hornets and Lady Hornets represent Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama in intercollegiate athletics. They field sixteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field; wom ...

. In two seasons, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 54 games. He completed his degree in

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

in 2000, fulfilling a promise to his mother. Coming out of the small Division I school, Williams had no connections to professional basketball and played

in New York City, where he was given the nickname "Homicide".

Professional career

Williams made his professional debut during the 1999–2000

International Basketball Association The International Basketball Association (IBA) was founded in 1995 by a group of businessmen led by Tom Anderson. The original owners of franchises in the league were George Daniel (Black Hills Posse-Rapid City, SD), John Korsmo, Al Gardner, and ...

season, where he had a brief stint with the

Dakota Wizards The Dakota Wizards were an American professional basketball team based in Bismarck, North Dakota. They played in the NBA Development League from 2006 until 2012. After the 2011–12 season, the team relocated to Santa Cruz, California, and now ...

. After a year touring with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

, he played for Club San Carlos in the Dominican Republic and the Brooklyn Kings of the

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

during the 2000–01 season. For the 2001–02 season, Williams played in Brazil with

Minas Minas or MINAS may refer to: People with the given name Minas * Menas of Ethiopia (died 1563) * Saint Menas (Minas, 285–309) * Minias of Florence (Minas, Miniato, died 250) * Minas Alozidis (born 1984), Greek hurdler * Minas Avetisyan (192 ...

. After another stint with the Brooklyn Kings in 2003, Williams played in Sweden during the 2003–04 season with 08 Stockholm. After spending time with 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

during the 2004 off-season, Williams played for Yunnan Honghe of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

during the 2004–05 season. He averaged 27 points per game with Yunnan. In May 2005, he had a one-game stint with the New Jersey Flyers and a three-game stint with the Westchester Wildfire, both of the United States Basketball League. After spending his summer in 2005 working the competition on the streets of New York City, Williams was noticed by

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

assistant coach

Jim Todd Jim Todd (born 1952 in Billerica, Massachusetts) is a professional basketball coach who last served as an assistant for the New York Knicks. NBA coaching career Los Angeles Clippers He was the coach at Salem State College for nearly ten years, ...

. As a result, on October 3, 2005, Williams signed with the Raptors for training camp. Williams averaged 4.0 points and 1.0 assists in four pre-season games for the Raptors before being waived by the team on October 27. On November 3, 2005, Williams was selected by the

Austin Toros Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

in the ninth round of the 2005 NBA Development League draft. He was waived by Austin on November 17 before appearing in a game for them. In December 2005, he signed with

Sellbytel Baskets Nürnberg BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, B ...

of the German

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...

, but left the team after appearing in just three games due to family problems. In January 2006, he joined the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team has played its home games in the Sanford Pentagon since the 2013–14 ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. He was named to the CBA All-Defensive Team and All-League Second Team for the 2005–06 season, He had a league-high three

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 ...

s, which tied the franchise record for triple-doubles in a season. He later had a one-game stint with Venezuelan team

Guaiqueríes de Margarita Guaiqueríes de Margarita is a professional basketball team based in La Asunción, Venezuela. The team currently plays in Venezuela's Liga Profesional de Baloncesto. The team has won the Venezuelan championships nine times. Current roster LPB t ...

. After an

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

stint with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

and a pre-season stint with the

, Williams played eight games with French team

Cholet Basket Cholet Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Cholet, France. The club plays in the LNB Pro A. Their home arena is La Meilleraie. Established in 1975, Cholet won its first French championship in the 2009–10 season. In 1998 and ...

to begin the 2006–07 season. On January 1, 2007, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, now playing in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. After being waived by the Skyforce on February 16, he was picked up by the

a week later. He helped the Wizards win the D-League championship and averaged 14 points, four rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for the 2006–07 season. Williams had another Summer League stint in 2007, this time with 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. On October 3, 2007, he signed with the

of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), replacing the injured Rosell Ellis. In 25 games during the

2007–08 NBL season The 2007–08 NBL season was the 30th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. On 21 November 2006, the Gold Coast Blaze joined the league, expanding it to 13 teams. 2007–08 league participants Stadiums and locations ...

, Williams averaged 21.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He was named to the All-NBL Second Team. Following the NBL season, he joined

KK Cibona Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and compete ...

for the rest of the Croatian league season. Williams returned to the Crocodiles for the

2008–09 NBL season The 2008–09 NBL season was the 31st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 10 teams contested the league. 2008–09 league participants * On 30 June 2008 the Brisbane Bullets confirmed they would be handing back t ...

. In 32 games, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He was again named to the All-NBL Second Team and helped the Crocodiles reach the semi-finals. Following the NBL season, he had a four-game stint with

Trotamundos de Carabobo Trotamundos B.B.C. (), also known as Trotamundos de Carabobo, is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, located in the Venezuelan Carabobo State. The team currently plays in the Venezuelan SuperLiga. The team has won the Venezuelan cham ...

in Venezuela. Williams returned to the Crocodiles for the

2009–10 NBL season The 2009–10 NBL season was the 32nd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The 48-minute game switched to a 40-minute game. Preseason Pre-season training began for a majority of cl ...

. He was named the recipient of the

NBL Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the league's inaugural season to the best performing player of the regular season. As of the 2023–24 season, coac ...

after averaging 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists over his 31 games, shooting the ball at 50.6% from the field. In November 2010, Williams joined the

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Joh ...

for the rest of the

2010–11 NBL season The 2010–11 NBL season was the 33rd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2010 and April 2011, followed by a post-season involving the t ...

. On January 2, 2011, he recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in an 87–66 win over the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adela ...

. In his four NBL seasons, Williams played 114 games (91 for Townsville and 23 for Melbourne) and averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest. In January 2012, Williams joined

Byblos Club Byblos Club is a multi sports club based in Byblos, Lebanon. The franchise was established in 1981, and such notable players as Jay Youngblood, Michael Fraser, Bassel Bawji, Ali Mahmoud, Rodrigue Akl, Ratko Varda, Steven Burtt, Joseph Vogel, N ...

in Lebanon. Following the Lebanese season, he played for

Piratas de Quebradillas ''Piratas'' () is a Spanish adventure drama television series with comedy elements created by Carlos Portela and which stars Óscar Jaenada, Pilar Rubio and Silvia Abascal. It aired on Telecinco in 2011. Premise Set in the 18th century, the fi ...

in Puerto Rico. For the 2012–13 season, Williams played for Bejje SC. He continued in Lebanon for the 2013–14 season, initially with

Hoops Club Hoops Club () is a Lebanese sports club. It is based in Beirut, Lebanon, with branches in Antelias, Tyre, and southern suburbs of Beirut ( Dahieh). The basketball team is part of the Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League ...

and then later joining

Al Mouttahed Tripoli Al Mouttahed () also known by its name United Club Tripoli is a Lebanese sports club most known for its basketball program playing in the second division. It is located Tripoli, Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a ...

. In February 2015, Williams returned to Lebanon to play out the 2014–15 season with

Tadamon Zouk Tadamon Zouk () is a Lebanese sports club most known for its basketball program. It is located in Zouk Mikael, Kesrouan, Lebanon. Tadamon Zouk basketball team is part of the Lebanese Basketball League. It was part of the league's top divisio ...

. In 10 games, he averaged 23.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Williams returned to Tadamon in February 2016, playing six games between February 14 and April 28.

Post-playing career

Williams became a notable NBL commentator in Australia following his playing career, initially in a smaller capacity in 2015 and then full time in 2017 with

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

. He is credited with helping the NBL surge in the late 2010s and was one of the NBL's greatest ambassadors. In December 2021, Williams was appointed the Creative Director of Basketball for

Foot Locker Foot Locker, Inc. is an American multinational retailer of footwear, sportswear, urban youth apparel and accessories headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in over 40 countries. Although established in 1974, and ...

Pacific.

Personal life

Williams' ancestral home is

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. As of 2012, he traveled with a Jamaican passport. Williams had two daughters, Bella and Gabi.

Illness and death

In August 2023, Williams was diagnosed with stage 4

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. He underwent

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

in New York before returning to his adopted home of Australia. He continued to undergo treatment as recently as two weeks prior to his death. He died on May 10, 2024, at the age of 46, at Cabrini Hospital in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Williams' funeral service was held at the

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is an international sporting venue located in Albert Park, Victoria, Albert Park, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The centre was opened on 24 July 1997 at a construction cost of A$65 million. The ...

References

External links