.jpg) Williams at the2022 NBA All-Star Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1971-10-08)October 8, 1971 (age 54) Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Potomac (Oxon Hill, Maryland) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Notre Dame (1989–1994) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1994: 1st round, 24th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1994–2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 2, 41, 3, 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2005–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | New Orleans Hornets / Pelicans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Oklahoma City Thunder (associate HC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | TMI Episcopal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As head coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 2,884 (6.3 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 1,296 (2.8 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 544 (1.2 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professionalbasketball coach, executive, and former player of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) who is the head coach of theTMI Episcopal’s boys basketball team. He most recently served as the head coach of theDetroit Pistons. Williams played for five NBA teams during a playing career that spanned from 1994 to 2003. His NBA coaching career has included stints as an assistant coach, associate head coach, and head coach.
Williams was the head coach for theNew Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from2010 until2015. He served as an assistant coach with theUnited States national team underMike Krzyzewski, and he has worked as a vice president of basketball operations for theSan Antonio Spurs. In May 2019, Williams was hired as the head coach of thePhoenix Suns. In 2021, he led the Suns to their firstNBA Finals appearance since 1993 and was named theNBA Coach of the Year the following year in 2022, when the Suns finished the regular season with a franchise record of 64 wins. After being dismissed by Phoenix in 2023, Williams agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million coaching contract with the Pistons, making him the then second highest-paid coach, but was fired one year into the six-year deal.
Williams was born on October 8, 1971, inFredericksburg, Virginia. He attendedPotomac High School inOxon Hill, Maryland, where he excelled in basketball.
As a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) small forward from the University of Notre Dame, Williams was an honorable mentionAll-American, averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds during his senior season.[1] Williams was an NBA first-round pick despite a pre-existing heart condition that kept him out for two seasons at Notre Dame.[2][3] He was selected by theNew York Knicks in the first round (24th overall) of the1994 NBA draft.[4][5]
Williams played in nine NBA seasons from 1994 to 2003.[6] Williams played for the New York Knicks from 1994 to 1996.
Williams was traded alongsideCharles Smith to theSan Antonio Spurs forBrad Lohaus,J.R. Reid and a future first round pick that becameJohn Wallace.[citation needed] He played there from 1996 to 1998.
In 1999, Williams signed with theDenver Nuggets but was released within a month.[citation needed]
TheOrlando Magic claimed Williams off waivers and he stayed with the team until 2002.[citation needed]
Williams joined thePhiladelphia 76ers in free agency.[citation needed] In 2003, Williams was re-acquired by the Orlando Magic in a trade sending a conditional pick swap to Orlando. He was waived by the Magic three days later, effectively ending his basketball career.[citation needed] In his NBA career, Williams played in 456 games, scored a total of 2,884 points and averaged 6.3 points per game.[1] Chronic knee problems forced him into retirement in 2003.[7][8]
In spring 2005, Williams won anNBA championship as a coaching staff intern with theSan Antonio Spurs.[9]
In fall 2005, Williams was hired by new head coachNate McMillan as an assistant coach for thePortland Trail Blazers.[10]
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On June 7, 2010, Williams was offered a three-year contract to be the head coach of theNew Orleans Hornets.[11] At the date of hiring, Williams became the youngest head coach in the NBA at 38 years old.[1] In his first season with the Hornets, the team finished with a 46–36 record and made the playoffs.[12] On August 18, 2012, Williams accepted a four-year contract extension from the Hornets (later renamed as the Pelicans).[13] On June 9, 2013, Williams accepted an assistant coach role with theU.S. national team, along withJim Boeheim andTom Thibodeau, for the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro, Brazil. TheNew Orleans Pelicans finished the2014–15 season with a 45–37 record before losing to theGolden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. On May 12, 2015, Williams was let go after five seasons as head coach of the Pelicans, compiling a 173–221 regular season record and going 2–8 in the playoffs.[14]
On June 29, 2015, Williams became the associate head coach of theOklahoma City Thunder.[15] On June 1, 2016, it was announced that Williams would not return with the Thunder.[16]
On June 4, 2018,Brett Brown announced that Williams would join his staff in Philadelphia as the lead assistant coach, his first coaching job in two seasons.[17]
On May 3, 2019, thePhoenix Suns announced they had signed Williams as the team's head coach on a five-year deal.[18][19][20] The Suns compiled a 26–39 record in his first season coaching them before the season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The Suns were later invited to the2020 NBA Bubble in order to play eight seeding games, where Williams coached the Suns to an 8–0 record, improving their overall record that season to 34–39. Despite this, the Suns failed to qualify for the play-in tournament to enter the2020 NBA playoffs.
On November 16, 2020, Williams reunited with star point guardChris Paul after last coaching him back in 2011 when they were with the New Orleans Hornets.[21] After the conclusion of the2020–21 season Williams was namedNBCA Coach of the Year.[22] He also finished second in theNBA Coach of the Year voting behindTom Thibodeau.[23] The Suns finished the season with a 51–21 record, clinching the division and the second seed in the Western Conference.[24][25] Williams coached the Suns to a first round series victory over the defending championLos Angeles Lakers in six games, and a sweep of theDenver Nuggets in the conference semifinals.[26] Williams then coached the Suns to a Western Conference finals victory over theLos Angeles Clippers in six games, advancing the Suns to the NBA Finals for the first time since1993.[27] It was also thefirst Finals appearance for Williams in his coaching career.[28] Facing theMilwaukee Bucks, the Suns would lose in six games.[29]
On December 27, 2021, Williams was placed in the SunsCOVID-19 protocol. On January 30, 2022, Williams was named as the Western Conference head coach for the2022 NBA All-Star Game as a result of his team's NBA-best record at 40–9.[30] Williams and the Suns were the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the season, after reaching a 53–13 record.[31] The Suns finished the season with franchise record for wins, compiling 64 against 18 losses. Williams was selected for his second consecutive NBCA Coach of the Year award.[32] On March 9, Williams was named the2021–22 season NBA Coach of the Year leading the Suns to a franchise record in wins and the best record in the league (64–18).[33] However, in the playoffs they fell in the Western Conference semifinals to theDallas Mavericks in seven games.
On July 27, 2022, the Suns signed Williams to a multi-year contract extension.[34]
On May 13, 2023, the Suns fired Williams after losing to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals of the2023 NBA playoffs.[35] He had three years and over $20 million left on his contract.[36]
On June 2, 2023, Williams was named head coach for theDetroit Pistons.[37][38] During Williams' first year as head coach for the Pistons, the team lost 28 straight games, the longest losing streak within one season in NBA history.[39] They also became the thirteenth team in NBA history to have a winless month, going 0–15 in November.[40] On June 19, 2024, after one season, and leading the Pistons to the worst record of the2023–24 season with 14–68 (also a franchise-worst), Williams was fired. He had $65 million and 5 years remaining on his contract.[41][42]
On October 20, 2024, Williams accepted the boys’ basketball head coaching position atTMI Episcopal in San Antonio, TX, where he will coach his sons Elijah and Micah.[43]
In 2016, Williams became the vice president of basketball operations for theSan Antonio Spurs.[44] On June 26, 2017, while serving as vice president for the Spurs, Williams was selected as the winner of theSager Strong Award during thefirst NBA Awards show.[45][46]
On February 10, 2016, Williams' first wife, Ingrid, died from injuries sustained from a car crash in Oklahoma City after her car was struck head-on by a vehicle that crossed lanes after losing control. The couple had five children together.[47] Williams married his second wife Lisa Keeth in 2017.[48] He is a Christian.[49][50]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Source[51]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | New York | 41 | 23 | 12.3 | .451 | .000 | .447 | 2.4 | 1.2 | .5 | .1 | 3.3 |
| 1995–96 | New York | 14 | 0 | 4.4 | .318 | – | .625 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 1.4 |
| 1995–96 | San Antonio | 17 | 0 | 7.2 | .435 | .000 | .750 | 1.4 | .2 | .2 | .1 | 2.9 |
| 1996–97 | San Antonio | 65 | 26 | 20.7 | .509 | .000 | .645 | 3.2 | 1.4 | .8 | .8 | 9.0 |
| 1997–98 | San Antonio | 72 | 16 | 18.3 | .448 | .500 | .670 | 2.5 | 1.2 | .5 | .3 | 6.3 |
| 1998–99 | Denver | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | .000 | – | .500 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 1999–2000 | Orlando | 75 | 23 | 20.0 | .489 | .400 | .741 | 3.3 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | 8.7 |
| 2000–01 | Orlando | 82 | 0 | 14.8 | .447 | .077 | .639 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2001–02 | Orlando | 68 | 19 | 18.9 | .547 | .000 | .657 | 3.5 | 1.4 | .7 | .3 | 7.1 |
| 2002–03 | Philadelphia | 21 | 2 | 13.1 | .425 | .000 | .750 | 2.1 | 1.2 | .6 | .2 | 4.4 |
| Career | 456 | 109 | 16.7 | .481 | .111 | .665 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .6 | .3 | 6.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | New York | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 1.000 | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 |
| 1996 | San Antonio | 7 | 0 | 4.1 | .222 | – | .500 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 1998 | San Antonio | 5 | 0 | 5.6 | .625 | – | .667 | 1.2 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 2.4 |
| 2001 | Orlando | 3 | 0 | 4.7 | .750 | – | .333 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .7 | 2.3 |
| 2002 | Orlando | 4 | 3 | 23.3 | .519 | .000 | .600 | 5.5 | 2.3 | .8 | .0 | 8.5 |
| 2003 | Philadelphia | 10 | 0 | 9.6 | .348 | .000 | .750 | 1.5 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 1.9 |
| Career | 30 | 3 | 8.8 | .466 | .000 | .577 | 1.9 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 2.8 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 2010–11 | 82 | 46 | 36 | .561 | 3rd inSouthwest | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost inFirst round |
| New Orleans | 2011–12 | 66 | 21 | 45 | .318 | 5th in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| New Orleans | 2012–13 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 5th in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| New Orleans | 2013–14 | 82 | 34 | 48 | .415 | 5th in Southwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| New Orleans | 2014–15 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 5th in Southwest | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| Phoenix | 2019–20 | 73 | 34 | 39 | .466 | 3rd inPacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Phoenix | 2020–21 | 72 | 51 | 21 | .708 | 1st in Pacific | 22 | 14 | 8 | .636 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Phoenix | 2021–22 | 82 | 64 | 18 | .780 | 1st in Pacific | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Phoenix | 2022–23 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 2nd in Pacific | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Detroit | 2023–24 | 82 | 14 | 68 | .171 | 5th inCentral | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Career | 785 | 381 | 404 | .485 | 56 | 29 | 27 | .518 | |||
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