Matt Williams (basketball)
Matthew Williams Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1993 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
Matthew Williams Jr. (born October 14, 1993) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Williams competed at the collegiate level for the UCF Knights.
College career
Williams transitioned to the University of Central Florida following his tenure at Jones High School in Orlando. His college years were marked by health challenges, including an emergency appendectomy during his freshman year and knee discomfort in his sophomore season. At the onset of his junior year, he was diagnosed with inferior bipartite patella, a rare congenital anomaly necessitating surgical intervention, which sidelined him for the majority of that season.
Upon completing his redshirt junior year and earning his degree, Williams initially intended to transfer to Wake Forest for his remaining eligibility but ultimately chose to continue at UCF under the guidance of new head coach Johnny Dawkins. In this fifth collegiate year, he elevated his scoring output from 8.1 to 15.1 points per game and played a pivotal role in propelling the Knights to the semifinals of the 2017 National Invitation Tournament. Williams concluded his career at UCF as the all-time leader in three-point field goals made—accumulating 274 over his career, with 126 in a single season and 11 in one game; notably, both the season and single-game totals also established new American Athletic Conference benchmarks.
Miami Heat/Sioux Falls Skyforce (2017–2018)
Following college, Williams participated with the Miami Heat during the 2017 NBA Summer League and secured a contract for the 2017–18 campaign. On October 15, his deal was converted into a two-way contract, permitting him to divide his time between the Heat and their NBA G League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He began the season on Miami’s roster but was subsequently assigned to Sioux Falls before being recalled on December 20 due to injuries within the Heat squad. Williams appeared in three NBA contests, accumulating five points and one rebound across 11 minutes before being waived on December 31 to clear space for Derrick Jones Jr.. He was then re-signed by the Skyforce.
KTP and Kymi (2018–2019)
On September 12, 2018, Williams inked a deal with KTP Basket competing in Finland’s top-tier league, the Korisliiga. In January 2019, he transferred to Kymi of the Greek Basket League, where over 12 games he averaged 8.8 points and 2.7 rebounds while logging roughly 26 minutes per game.
Donar (2019–2020)
Williams signed with Donar of the Dutch Basketball League on July 16, 2019. The season was prematurely ended in March due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting his return stateside. During his stint, he posted averages of 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 21 appearances.
Cimarrones Caribbean Storm (2020–2021)
For the 2020–21 season, Williams competed in Colombia with Cimarrones Caribbean Storm, where he averaged 7.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per outing.
GTK Gliwice (2021)
On August 11, 2021, Williams signed with GTK Gliwice in Poland’s premier basketball division, the Polish Basketball League. Across 13 games, he recorded averages of 9.5 points, four rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest.
Lavrio (2021–2022)
Williams returned to Greece on December 11, 2021, joining Lavrio, a team competing in the Basketball Champions League. Over a span of 14 games, he averaged 4.6 points, one rebound, and half an assist while playing approximately eighteen minutes each game.
Supersónicos de Miranda (2022)
In July 2022, Williams entered into a contract with the Supersónicos de Miranda, a team competing in the Venezuelan SuperLiga.
NBA
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 3 || 0 || 3.7 || .333 || .200 || — || .3 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall | 3 || 0 || 3.7 || .333 || .200 || — || .3 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.7