Elliot Williams
Elliot Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1989 |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Known for | Playing for Duke Blue Devils, Memphis Tigers, and multiple NBA teams including Portland Trail Blazers |
Elliot Jerell Williams (born June 20, 1989) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. He competed at the collegiate level for both the Duke Blue Devils and the Memphis Tigers. In the 2010 NBA draft, he was chosen as the 22nd overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers.
High school career
Ranked as a five-star prospect by Rivals.com, Williams was positioned as the third-best shooting guard and ranked 16th overall nationwide in 2008.
Duke
During his tenure at Duke, Williams participated in 34 out of 37 games, starting in 12, including 11 of the final 12 matchups encompassing ACC and NCAA tournament play. He posted averages of 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest, alongside accumulating 23 assists and 21 steals. Shooting at a rate of 44.1% from the floor, he contributed to Duke’s 30–7 season record, securing the ACC Tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Memphis
After transferring from Duke, Williams was granted an NCAA waiver in August 2009 that permitted him to compete immediately for the Memphis Tigers during the 2009–10 season. Over his time at Memphis, he took part in 68 games with 46 starts, averaging 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
Portland Trail Blazers (2010–2013)
Selected as the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Williams missed the entire 2010–11 season due to a knee injury sustained during preseason activities. In the following season (2011–12), he appeared in 24 games, averaging 3.7 points before a shoulder dislocation prematurely ended his campaign. The entire 2012–13 season was lost to an Achilles tendon injury.
Philadelphia 76ers (2013–2014)
Williams signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in September 2013 but was released in October before playing any regular-season games. He subsequently joined the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2013 and was briefly assigned to their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, in January 2014 before being recalled to the main roster. The 76ers waived him in October 2014.
Santa Cruz Warriors (2014–2015)
On November 1, 2014, Williams was selected second overall in the 2014 NBA Development League draft by the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Utah Jazz (2015)
Williams inked a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz on January 7, 2015. After earning a second consecutive 10-day deal on January 17, he was not retained once this contract expired.
Return to Santa Cruz (2015)
He rejoined Santa Cruz on January 27. On February 4, Williams earned selection to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015 NBA Development League All-Star Game. That same day, he signed a new 10-day contract with the Charlotte Hornets, but was waived on February 10 without appearing in a game and subsequently returned once more to Santa Cruz.
New Orleans Pelicans (2015)
On March 4, Williams secured a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, which was followed by a second such contract on March 14.
Third stint with Santa Cruz (2015–2016)
Following the Pelicans' decision not to keep him after March 24, Williams made his way back to Santa Cruz on March 26. On April 26, he played a pivotal role in guiding the Warriors to secure their inaugural D-League championship against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, earning the distinction of Finals MVP.
Williams inked a deal with the Charlotte Hornets on July 28, 2015, marking his second tenure with the team; however, he was released on October 23 after participating in two preseason contests. He then re-signed with the Santa Cruz Warriors on November 12.
Memphis Grizzlies (2016)
On January 8, 2016, Williams agreed to a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and made his debut that same evening, scoring two points over nine minutes in a victory against the Denver Nuggets. The Grizzlies opted not to renew his contract once it concluded.
Fourth tenure with Santa Cruz (2016)
Williams returned to Santa Cruz on January 22, 2016. A week later, on January 29, he secured his second straight selection to the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
Panathinaikos (2016)
Williams departed from Santa Cruz on February 9, 2016, to join Greek club Panathinaikos. Across 10 EuroLeague appearances, he averaged 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 0.6 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. In addition, during 17 games in the Greek Basket League, he posted averages of 11.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 steals while playing an average of 21.4 minutes per contest.
Golden State Warriors (2016)
On September 16, 2016, Williams signed with the Golden State Warriors, but was waived on October 20 after missing all six preseason matches due to surgery on his right knee.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Portland | 24 || 0 || 6.2 || .500 || .296 || .333 || .8 || .3 || .3 || .1 || 3.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Philadelphia | 67 || 2 || 17.3 || .415 || .296 || .731 || 1.9 || 1.1 || .5 || .0 || 6.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .462 || .714 || .500 || .6 || .8 || .4 || .0 || 3.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Orleans | 8 || 0 || 9.6 || .333 || .273 || .000 || .6 || 1.0 || .3 || .0 || 2.4 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Memphis | 5 || 0 || 9.0 || .200 || .250 || .750 || .8 || .8 || .0 || .0 || 1.6 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 109 || 2 || 13.5 || .421 || .310 || .669 || 1.5 || .9 || .4 || .1 || 4.9