| No. 44 – Panathlitikos | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | Greek Women's Basketball League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1998-09-13)September 13, 1998 (age 27) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lakewood Ranch High School |
| College |
|
| WNBA draft | 2023: 2nd round, 17th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Indiana Fever |
| Playing career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
| 2023–2024 | Saint-Amand Hainaut Basket [fr] |
| 2024 | Santas del Potosi |
| 2024–present | Panathlitikos |
| Career highlights | |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
LaDazhia Williams (born September 13, 1998) is an American professionalbasketball player for Panathlitikos of theGreek Women's Basketball League. She playedcollege basketball for theSouth Carolina Gamecocks, theMissouri Tigers and theLSU Tigers.[1][2][3]
Williams was born inBradenton, Florida, to Chanel Griffin and an unnamed father.[1][4] She attended Samoset Elementary School in Bradenton and graduated fromLakewood Ranch High School inManatee County, Florida, in 2017.[4][5]
She majored incriminal justice at theUniversity of South Carolina (USC) andpsychology at theUniversity of Missouri (UM).[1][2] She graduated with aBachelor's degree in psychology at Missouri, and completed aMaster's degree insociology/criminal justice at LSU.[4]
At Lakewood Ranch High School, Williams is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in program history. She was ranked #12 bestforward and #48 overall prospect in the class of 2017 nationwide. She was awarded the 8A Player of the Year award by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC). She was named to the FABC First-Team All-State three times.[4] She averaged 19.6points per game, ninerebounds, and threeblocks as a senior. As team captain, Williams led her team to the program's first Class 7A state title.[4]
Williams played a total of five seasons in theNCAA: two years at USC, two years at UM, and one final year atLouisiana State University (LSU). In her freshman season of 2017–18, she played in 29 games, including twelveSoutheastern Conference (SEC) games and all fourNCAA Tournament games. She had a season-high playtime of seventeen minutes againstTennessee, scoring three rebounds and three points.[1]
In the 2018–19 season, she played in 19 out of 33 games, scoring 30 points with a 1.6 points per game average. She had a career-high of eight rebounds in the match againstAppalachian State.[1]
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Williams had to sit out for the 2019–20 season, along with being impacted by theCOVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020–21 season, she played in 21 games and started in 18. She averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks, at 23.3 minutes of playtime per game. She had a 58.2% shot rate (106 of 182), which ranked her third of all-time atMizzou, second in the SEC and ninth nationally for the season. She set career highs with averages of 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 26 blocks.[2]
In the 2021–22 season, Williams' senior season, she started in nine games and played in 27. She averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds with 18.7 minutes of playtime. She had a shot rate of 54.3% from the field, ranking ninth in all-time program history at Mizzou.[2]
In her fifth-year graduate season at LSU (2022–23), Williams started in 34 games, averaging 9.9 points per game. She had a career-high of six rebounds and scored fourdouble-doubles throughout the season. Throughout LSU's NCAA Tournament run, she averaged 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, with 20 points and 5 rebounds in the final game.[3]
Williams was selected in the 2nd round, as the 17th overall draft pick of the2023 WNBA draft by theIndiana Fever. She is the 21st LSU player to be drafted in the WNBA.[6][7] She was waived from the team in May 2023, after the Fever lost in apreseason match against theChicago Sky.[8]
After being waived, Williams moved to Israel to play for Hapoel Petah Tikva of theIsraeli Female Basketball Premier League in September. However, she evacuated from Israel back to her home in Georgia in October due to theGaza war.[9]
In November 2023, it was announced that Williams would be playing forSaint-Amand Hainaut Basket [fr] in theLigue Féminine de Basketball inSaint-Amand-les-Eaux,Nord,France. She made the transfer with her teammate from LSU,Alexis Morris.[10]
In summer 2024, Williams played in Mexico for Santas del Potosi.[11]
In December 2024, Williams joined Panathlitikos of theGreek Women's Basketball League.[12]