 Solomon withMaccabi Tel Aviv in 2005 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1978-07-20)July 20, 1978 (age 47) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | East Hartford (Hartford, Connecticut) |
| College | Clemson (1998–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| Playing career | 2001–2019 |
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard |
| Number | 5, 15, 1 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2002 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2002–2003 | Aris Thessaloniki |
| 2003–2004 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2004–2005 | Efes Pilsen |
| 2005–2006 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2006–2008 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2008–2009 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2009 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2009 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2010–2011 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2011–2012 | Cherkaski Mavpy |
| 2012–2013 | Mersin BB |
| 2013–2017 | Shark Antibes |
| 2018–2019 | AS Salé |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
William James Solomon (born July 20, 1978) is an American former professionalbasketball player. Standing at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), he plays at thepoint guard andshooting guard positions. He played parts of three seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), and three seasons in theIsraeli Basketball Premier League.[1]
Solomon was first noticed atEast Hartford High School inEast Hartford, Connecticut. He held several records and is in several clubs in their schools basketball program, such as "1000 Career Points", "All State", "All Conference", and the only member of the "NBA Draft" club. He went toClemson where he continued his basketball career. He was named first-teamAll-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as a junior, and made the second team as a senior.
Solomon declared himself eligible for the2001 NBA draft after his junior year atClemson University. He was selected by theVancouver Grizzlies in the second round, with the 32nd overall pick. Solomon played for the Grizzlies in the2001–02 season and averaged 5.2 points, 1.5 assists and 1.1 rebounds over 62 games.
After only one year in the NBA, Solomon decided to move to Europe and signed a contract with the Greek teamAris Thessaloniki in 2003. That year he won theFIBA EuroCup Challenge, 4th-tier European competition.
After a year inGreece, Solomon moved toIsrael and played forHapoel Jerusalem, with whom he won another European title, theULEB Cup, 2nd-tier European competition. In Israel, he was often nicknamed "The Fish" (Ha-dag, הדג), as in Hebrew his last name resembles "Salmon" much more thanKing Solomon, which is pronounced "Shlomo."
For 2004–05, he moved toTurkey and was signed byEfes Pilsen. He then played for the first time in his career in theEuroLeague. With the help of Solomon,Efes Pilsen won theTurkish championship that year.
Solomon moved back to Israel the following season and was signed byMaccabi Tel Aviv, who were the European champions the previous two seasons and were close to winning a third consecutive EuroLeague title before losing in the final. After this, he returned toIstanbul and joinedFenerbahçe, that enjoyed a high budget and aEuroLeague spot after theÜlker Food Group decided to close their own team and move their entire support of funds and players toFenerbahçe Ülker's basketball team. Nicknamed 'King Solomon'[2] by the Fenerbahçe fans, he helped the team win two championships.
Solomon also playedpoint guard for theWashington Wizards summer league team inLas Vegas during the NBA's off-season in 2006.
On July 28, 2008, Solomon was signed by theToronto Raptors.[3]
On February 19, 2009, Solomon was traded to theSacramento Kings in a three-team deal that sentPatrick O'Bryant to the Raptors from theBoston Celtics and a conditional second round pick in 2014 to the Celtics.[4] Shortly after being traded to theSacramento Kings, Will Solomon was waived.[5]
Solomon's final NBA game was played on April 3, 2009, in a 111 - 139 loss to the Phoenix Suns where Solomon recorded no stats in 3 minutes of playing time.
On April 9, 2009, the Turkish championsFenerbahçe reached an agreement with him in order to bring him back to his former team,[6] but he was released from his contract on November 7, 2009.[6]
In August 2010, he returned to Israel and signed a one-year contract with pro clubHapoel Jerusalem.[7]
In the summer of 2011, he signed a contract with theUkrainian teamCherkaski Mavpy.
In October 2012, he signed a contract withMersin BB of theTurkish Basketball League for the 2012–13 season.
In November 2013, he signed with the French teamShark Antibes.[8]
| 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 | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Memphis | 62 | 4 | 14.1 | .341 | .284 | .671 | 1.1 | 1.5 | .6 | .1 | 5.2 |
| 2008–09 | Toronto | 39 | 9 | 13.9 | .436 | .263 | .833 | 1.1 | 3.2 | .5 | .1 | 4.9 |
| 2008–09 | Sacramento | 14 | 0 | 12.0 | .406 | .448 | .500 | 1.5 | .7 | .5 | .0 | 5.0 |
| Career | 115 | 13 | 13.8 | .378 | .298 | .692 | 1.1 | 2.0 | .5 | .1 | 5.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Efes Pilsen | 23 | 23 | 30.3 | .433 | .348 | .785 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 | .3 | 14.5 | 14.0 |
| 2005–06 | Maccabi | 25 | 23 | 32.2 | .464 | .386 | .798 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.0 | .2 | 15.0 | 13.6 |
| 2006–07 | Fenerbahçe | 11 | 10 | 32.1 | .422 | .388 | .889 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1.9 | .3 | 13.6 | 11.6 |
| 2007–08 | Fenerbahçe | 21 | 21 | 31.1 | .466 | .378 | .818 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 1.7 | .1 | 17.9 | 18.0 |
| 2009–10 | Fenerbahçe | 2 | 2 | 26.3 | .333 | .250 | .800 | 1.0 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | 9.0 | 3.5 |
| Career | 82 | 79 | 31.2 | .448 | .370 | .806 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.9 | .2 | 15.3 | 14.4 | |
· Basketball Reference