John Lee Williamson ( – November 30, 1996) was an American

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 (appro ...

player. He helped the

New York Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

win two league championships in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA) in the 1970s. Williamson played high school basketball at Wilbur Cross High School in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

and 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 the New Mexico State Aggies. He was a 6'2" guard. He was nicknamed "Super John" for his highly efficient jump shooting.

High school career

While at Wilbur Cross High School, Williamson played on the Connecticut state champion teams of 1966–67 and 1967–68. In the 1968 title game, Cross won over Bridgeport Central, 123–82. Williamson's teammates, Alex Scott (24 points), and Clint Davis (40 points) led the way in the romp for Cross's third consecutive title. Williamson contributed 17 points, which was his average that year. In 1969, Cross was runner up to crosstown rival Hillhouse in 1968–69, losing 76–71 in the final. For Williamson's senior (1969–70) year, he led the nation in scoring, averaging 38.7 points per game. His team was upset in a semi-final match, once again playing Bridgeport Central, with an ending score of 105–103.

College career

Williamson went on to team up with Scott and Davis at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-g ...

, where he averaged 27 points per game within 2 years.

Professional career

As a rookie, Williamson landed a roster spot with the

of the ABA as a free agent for the 1973–74 season. Before signing with the ABA Nets, he had been eligible for the NBA draft that year, being selected by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

in the 6th round with the 96th pick, but didn't make the cut for their roster. Despite being a rookie, Williamson quickly entered the New York starting lineup along with superstar

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

and rising star rookie Larry Kenon (who would get traded a couple of years later). After Williamson became a starter, the team's fortunes quickly turned for the better and the team ended up winning the ABA Championship that season. Williamson was named to the 1974 ABA All-Rookie team. Continuing with the Nets, Williamson, in Game 6 of the 1976 ABA Finals, scored 28 points with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He and Erving carried the team's offense, combining for 59 points (31 of them from Erving) and leading the Nets to come back from 22 points behind to win the game, the series and the ABA championship. In the 1976–77 season, Williamson was traded to 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 ...

midseason; in the middle of the next season, he was traded back to the Nets. The Nets would make the playoffs in 1978–79 with Williamson scoring a then-record 38 points for an NBA playoff debut. The Nets would however lose 0–2 in the series to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. In the 1979–80 season he was traded from the Nets to the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

who would be the last team he played for before the end of his NBA career until the 1980–81 season. By this time Williamson had largely declined as a player despite being only 29 years old and wouldn't return to the NBA after that season due to contract disagreements in free agency and not maintaining a healthy weight to play. In 1982, he would play for the CBA Las Vegas Silvers in an attempt to get recruited back into the NBA but never received any offers. In his ABA/NBA career, Williamson scored 9,017 points. He averaged between 11.5 and 29.5 points in every ABA/NBA season except for his last. Williamson still holds Nets team records in various categories, including most free throw attempts in a game, with 24 (since tied by

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 22 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, b ...

and Devin Harris). Williamson's jersey number (23) was retired by the New York/New Jersey Nets franchise on December 7, 1990; Williamson is one of three players who were with the Nets during their ABA days with a retired number; the other two are Bill Melchionni and

Personal life

After professional basketball, Williamson would end up working in a juvenile detention center back in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut. At age 45, Williamson died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

related to diabetes on November 30, 1996. He was survived by his wife Bertha Williamson and his four children.

ABA and NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6fa;", , style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 77 , , , , 29.4 , , .491 , , .182 , , .789 , , 2.8 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 75 , , , , 25.0 , , .482 , , .231 , , .837 , , 2.0 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align: left;background:#afe6fa;", , style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 76 , , , , 29.7 , , .450 , , .190 , , .806 , , 2.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , , , 40.5 , , .445 , , , , .789 , , 2.8 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 20.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 30 , , , , 38.6 , , .480 , , , , .784 , , 2.5 , , 3.7 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 20.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , , , 34.5 , , .421 , , , , .832 , , 2.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 19.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 33 , , , , 38.8 , , .454 , , , , .857 , , 3.2, , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 29.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , , , 35.9 , , .465 , , , , .854 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 22.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , , , 27.5 , , .447 , , .421 , , .864 , , 1.9 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .3 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 30 , , , , 20.1 , , .430 , , .188 , , .800 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 9 , , , , 12.4 , , .321 , , .167 , , .833 , , .8 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 516 , , , , 30.1 , , .458 , , .234 , , .826 , , 2.5 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 17.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6fa;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 14 , , , , 30.4 , , .450 , , .000 , , .815 , , 3.3 , , 2.9 , , .7 , , .4 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 5 , , , , 23.6 , , .605 , , .000 , , .615 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .6 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6fa;",

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, style="text-align:left;", New York (ABA) , 10, , , , 36.0 , , .497 , , .333 , , .696 , , 2.4 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 22.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , , , 46.0 , , .371 , , , , .813 , , 3.0 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 29.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, style="text-align:left;", Washington , 2 , , , , 15.5 , , .579, , .333 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 13.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 33, , , , 31.1 , , .478 , , .250 , , .743 , , 2.7 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , 16.2

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, John 1951 births 1996 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Basketball players from New Haven, Connecticut Deaths from kidney failure in the United States Indiana Pacers players Las Vegas Silvers players NBA players with retired numbers New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball players New Jersey Nets players New York Nets players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Shooting guards Washington Bullets players Wilbur Cross High School alumni