Gus Williams, who helped bring Seattle its first and only NBA championship in 1979, has died. He was 71.
Williams, a shooting guard, spent 11 seasons in the NBA (1975-87) with the Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors, Washington Bullets and Atlanta Hawks.
In 825 career regular-season games, Williams averaged 17.1 points, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.7 rebounds per game.
As noted by Jim Miloch on Twitter/X, Williams' 19.5 points per game is the second-highest playoff scoring average of any retired player in NBA history (minimum of 90 games) who is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Williams was named a second-team All-American at USC in 1975. He was subsequently drafted 20th overall by the defending champion Warriors.
Nicknamed "The Wizard," Williams was the runner-up to Alvan Adams for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award in 1976. That year, he averaged 11.7 points per game for the Warriors in his first professional season.
Two years later, Williams signed with the SuperSonics, where he enjoyed the greatest success of his career.
Williams helped Seattle beat Washington in the 1979 NBA Finals, averaging 29.0 points in the five-game series. He carried that success over to the 1979-80 season, averaging 22.1 points per game and finishing eighth in MVP voting. Williams and teammate Dennis Johnson were named second-team all-NBA guards after the season.
More news: Brooklyn Native Who Welcomed Jackie Robinson to Dodgers Dies: Report
Williams missed all of the subsequent season holding out for a new contract — Seattle went 34-48 in his absence — then re-signed with the SuperSonics in June 1981. Although he would claim his holdout was motivated by more than dollars and cents, his subsequent contract for five years and $3 million turned heads at the time.
Williams enjoyed his best season in 1981-82, making the first of two consecutive All-Star teams, averaging a career-high 23.4 points per game, and earning his only career first team all-NBA selection after the season.
More news: Red Sox All-Star, World Series Winner Who Played for Expansion Mets Dies
The Sonics traded Williams to Washington after the 1983-84 season, and he spent two years in the Bullets' backcourt. His final season was 1986-87 with the Hawks.
Williams was living in a care facility in the Baltimore area at the time of his passing, according to the Seattle Times.
The Times notes that Williams suffered a stroke in Feb. 2020, which led to the founding of the Sonics Legends Fund — an organization that raised money to help pay for Williams, Slick Watts, and other former Sonics dealing with health issues.
For more NBA news, visit Newsweek Sports.
English (US) ·