Leon Vernon Williams Jr. (born July 24, 1986) is an 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 (appro ...

player who last played for

Busan KCC Egis The Busan KCC Egis () is a professional basketball club based in Busan, South Korea. The team competes in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and has established a substantial fanbase in South Korea. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based i ...

of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

(KBL).

Career

Williams graduated from the Cardinal Gibbons School in 2004. After high school, Williams played college basketball for

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

from 2004 to 2008, during that time he also played in the summer league Belize Elite Basketball League for the Belize Bank Bulldogs. After graduating in 2008, Williams started his professional career in Turkey where he played for two years for

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While th ...

and then

Erdemir Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları T.A.Ş. is a Turkish steel producer. The name is a contraction of the Turkish language ''Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları'', which means "Ereğli Iron and Steel Factories". Erdemir occupies the 43rd place ...

where he was the top rebounder of the

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

in both seasons. In 2010, Williams signed with the French basketball team

Strasbourg IG Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League. The ...

, however, after the pre-season and just before the start of the season he left the team and country without notice and without the clubs consent, invoking either a sick relative or a desire to start a career in real estate, Strasbourg threatened sanctions but nothing came from that. One year later, after the expiry of his contract, he went to Spain to play for Cáceres Patrimonio de la Humanidad in the

Liga Española de Baloncesto The Primera FEB, formerly known as LEB or LEB Oro, is the second basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system after the Liga ACB. It is run by the FEB. The FEB leagues are divided into three categories (the other two are the Segu ...

, the Spanish basketball second division. Following that season he moved on to

side

Goyang Orions Goyang Sono Skygunners () is a professional basketball club based in Goyang, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. History Dayone Sports era (2022–2023) Rumours of Orion selling its stake in the club intensified in ear ...

, partly because of his Korean-American's girlfriend desire to discover her roots, he also announced his intention to become a Korean citizen. After a season in South Korea he moved to Cangrejeros de Santurce in 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 ...

whose season succeeds the Korean basketball season, he would alternate between the two leagues for the next three years. On January 13, 2016, he signed with

Kavala Kavala (, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the A2 motorway, a one-and ...

of for the rest of the 2015–16 season. He later re-joined the Cangrejeros de Santurce for the 2016 BSN season. On August 5, 2016, Williams signed with Best Balıkesir of Turkey. On December 4, 2016, he parted ways with Balıkesir after averaging 11.7 points and 9.9 rebounds in Turkish top division. On October 15, 2024, Williams joined

of the

(KBL) to replace Tyler Davis. On January 27, 2025, he was replaced by Donovan Smith.

References

External links

Leon Williams at RealGMLeon Williams at TBLStat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Leon 1986 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters players Atenas basketball players Basketball players from Baltimore Best Balıkesir B.K. players Brujos de Guayama players Busan KCC Egis players Suwon KT Sonicboom players Cáceres Ciudad del Baloncesto players Cangrejeros de Santurce basketball players Centers (basketball) Changwon LG Sakers players Erdemirspor players Goyang Sono Skygunners players Karşıyaka basketball players Kavala B.C. players Ohio Bobcats men's basketball players Seoul SK Knights players SIG Strasbourg players Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus players Wonju DB Promy players