.jpg) Williams in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-09-10)September 10, 1981 (age 44) Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Joseph (Metuchen, New Jersey) |
| College | Duke (1999–2002) |
| NBA draft | 2002: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Chicago Bulls |
| Playing career | 2002–2004, 2006 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 22 |
| Career history | |
| 2002–2004 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2006 | Austin Toros |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Jason David Williams (born September 10, 1981) is an American formerbasketball player and television analyst. He playedcollege basketball for theDuke Blue Devils and professionally for theChicago Bulls in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Then known as Jason Williams, he won the2001 NCAA Championship with Duke, and was namedNABC Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He was drafted second overall in the2002 NBA draft by the Bulls. He was known as Jay on joining the Bulls to avoid confusion with two other players with similar names in the NBA at the time.[1] His playing career was effectively ended by a motorcycle crash in 2003. He last played with theAustin Toros of theNBA Development League in 2006 when his season was ended early due to lingering physical effects from his accident.[2]
Since retiring, Williams has worked as an analyst forESPN. Initially working onESPN College Basketball, he was reassigned to the NBA full-time with his addition on ESPN'sNBA Countdown program in 2019.
Williams grew up inPlainfield, New Jersey, and attendedSt. Joseph High School inMetuchen, graduating in 1999. He not only excelled at basketball, but took an active interest in other activities, most notablychess. His nickname in high school was "Jay Dubs". Williams also played junior varsity soccer during his freshman year and was the state volleyball player of the year during his senior year. In basketball that year, Williams was named a First Team All-State Player in New Jersey, the New Jersey Player of the Year, aParade All-American, aUSA Today first team All-American, and aMcDonald's All-American, where he competed in the Slam Dunk Contest and the McDonald's All-American Game, scoring 20 points in the contest. In his last year of high school he averaged 19 points, 7.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game; he had started each of the 4 years he spent at St. Joseph, and set school records in total points (1,977) and steals (407).[3] He was also named the recipient of the 1999 Morgan Wootten Award for his basketball achievements and his work in the classroom, where he maintained a 3.6 GPA.
AtDuke University, Williams, a 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m), 195-pound (88 kg)point guard, became one of the few freshmen in school history to average double figures in scoring and was named ACC Rookie of the Year and National Freshman of the Year by The Sporting News, averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per contest. He was also a first team Freshman All-American byBasketball Times.[citation needed]
The next season Williams started all 39 games and led the Devils to the 2001 NCAA National Championship, earning NABC Player of the Year honors. His 841 points brokeDick Groat's 49-year Duke record for points in a season, while he led all tournament scorers with a 25.7 points per game average. Williams also set the NCAA Tournament record for three-pointers attempted (66), while also making 132 three-point field goals—good for the sixth-highest total in NCAA history. His 21.6 points per game led the ACC and made him the first Duke player since Danny Ferry (1989) to lead the league in scoring. His 6.1 assists were good for second in the league, while he also ranked second in three-point field goal percentage (.427) and first in three-pointers made (3.4 per game). Williams was widely considered the best player in college basketball, earning both the prestigiousNaismith Award andWooden Award as College Basketball's Player of the Year in 2002. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 2002, and left Duke with 2,079 points, good for sixth all-time, and with hisjersey number 22retired at Senior Day.
He had 36 double-figure scoring games in a single season (tied for 5th-most in Duke history as of March 28, 2010, withJon Scheyer,Shane Battier, andJJ Redick).[4]
In 2001–02, Williams,Carlos Boozer, andMike Dunleavy Jr. each scored at least 600 points for the season, a feat only matched at Duke by Jon Scheyer,Kyle Singler, andNolan Smith in the 2009–10 season.[4] Williams (841) andShane Battier (778) on the 2001 national championship team were one of only two Duke duos to each score over 700 points in a season, the other duo being Scheyer (728) and Singler (707) in the 2009–10 season.[5]
Williams was selected by theChicago Bulls with the second overall pick in the2002 NBA draft, afterYao Ming was selected by theHouston Rockets. Williams was a starter in the Bulls' line-up for most of the2002–03 NBA season. Although his performance was inconsistent and he competed for playing time withJamal Crawford, he showed signs of promise, including posting atriple-double in a win over theNew Jersey Nets. Williams' final NBA game was played on April 15, 2003, in a 115–106 win over thePhiladelphia 76ers in which he recorded 15 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.[6]
On the night of June 19, 2003, Williams was riding a motorcycle at a fast speed on the North Side ofChicago. He crashed hisYamaha YZF-R6 motorcycle into a streetlight at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Honore Street in theRoscoe Village neighborhood. Williams was not wearing a helmet, nor was he licensed to ride a motorcycle inIllinois, and he was also violating the terms of his NBA Bulls contract by riding a motorcycle.[7] Williams' injuries included a fracturedpelvis, a severed main nerve in his leg, and three torn ligaments in his leftknee, including theACL. He required lengthyphysical therapy to regain the use of his leg. A week after the motorcycle crash, the Bulls drafted point guardKirk Hinrich. When it became clear Williams would not be returning to the Bulls for a long time, if at all, because of his severe injuries, the Bulls chose to waive him and drop him from the roster. This left the team without their top draft pick from just a year prior. Legally, the Bulls did not have to pay Williams any remaining salary at all because his severe injuries occurred while he violated the terms of his contract by riding a motorcycle; however, the Bulls organization decided to give Williams $3 million when they waived him so Williams could use the funds toward his rehabilitation expenses. Williams apologized to the Bulls organization for violating the terms of his contract and severely injuring himself. He stated at the time that he would work hard in his physical rehabilitation so that he could make a return to the Bulls. In his 2016 memoir, he mentioned that he became addicted to illegal painkillers as well as other drugs after the accident.[8]
On September 28, 2006, theNew Jersey Nets announced that they had signed Williams to a non-guaranteed contract. However, on October 22, the Nets released him.[9]
Williams then signed with theAustin Toros of theNBA Development League, but he played in just three games for the club. On December 30, 2006, the Toros waived him due to injury.[10] Williams subsequently announced that he had no plans to resume his basketball career.
During his basketball playing career, Williams also represented the seniorUSA national basketball team. He was a part of the US team that finished in 6th place at the2002 FIBA World Cup, which was held inIndianapolis.[11] In seven games played during the tournament, Williams averaged 3.9 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals, in 6.6 minutes per game.[12]
Williams works forESPN as an NBA analyst. Previously, Williams covered college basketball for the network.[13] He has also done motivational speaking and worked as an analyst onCBS College Sports Network during the2008 NCAA men's basketball tournament.[14] He was a recruiter for sports agency Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment from 2007 to 2009.[15] In 2016, Williams released his autobiography,Life Is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention.[16] Presently, Williams is the Spokesperson of Visions Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Endwell, New York.[17] He was also an announcer inNBA Live 19.
According to a May 2020 article on BlackEnterprise.com, Williams co-founded a management consulting company named Simatree, serves as a partial owner of The CabinNYC restaurant, works as an advisor to a digital marketing agency, and partners with EPIC Insurance to provide financial guidance to athletes and celebrities.[18]
In 2021, Williams began hosting a podcast series titledThe Limits with Jay Williams forNPR.[19]
Williams co-hosted the "Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show" national morning show onESPN Radio, withKeyshawn Johnson andMax Kellerman.[20] In June, 2023, it was canceled by ESPN as a part of their budget cuts.
Williams is a cousin of formerNFLwide receiverDavid Tyree.[21]
He is married to Nikki Bonacorsi and is the father of one daughter and one son.[22][23]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Chicago | 75 | 54 | 26.1 | .399 | .322 | .640 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 10.5 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | Duke | 34 | 34 | 34.0 | .419 | .354 | .685 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 2.4 | .2 | 15.5 |
| 2000–01 | Duke | 39 | 39 | 31.8 | .473 | .427 | .659 | 3.3 | 6.1 | 2.0 | .1 | 21.6 |
| 2001–02 | Duke | 35 | 35 | 33.6 | .457 | .383 | .676 | 3.5 | 5.3 | 2.2 | .1 | 21.3 |
| Career | 108 | 108 | 33.1 | .453 | .393 | .671 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 2.2 | .1 | 21.3 | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |