Michael Carter-Williams

Michael Carter-Williams
Michael Carter-Williams
Born	October 10, 1991 (age 35); United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2013–2024
Known for	NBA Rookie of the Year (2014)

Michael Carter-Williams (born October 10, 1991) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Chosen as the 11th pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, he played collegiate basketball with the Syracuse Orange. Carter-Williams was honored as the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2014 and has also been a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic.

High school career

Carter-Williams started his high school journey at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where he led the team by averaging 20 points per game during his freshman year. In 2008, he transferred to the boarding institution St. Andrew's located in Barrington, Rhode Island, where he consistently posted an average of 25.4 points per game throughout his three years as a starter. His senior season statistics featured averages of 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per contest.

Following his sophomore year, Carter-Williams committed to Syracuse University amid scholarship offers from Providence, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Clemson. He also competed on an AAU team alongside future 76ers teammate Nerlens Noel.

College career

During his freshman year at Syracuse in the 2011–12 season, Carter-Williams had a limited role behind starters Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche, and standout sixth man Dion Waiters. Initially coming off the bench in coach Jim Boeheim's lineup, his playing time decreased as Jardine and Triche secured starting positions and Waiters emerged as a key reserve. Over 26 games without any starts, he averaged 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and logged 10.3 minutes per game.

In the offseason of 2012, Carter-Williams dedicated himself to improving his strength, shooting accuracy, and overall nutrition, which propelled him into a breakout sophomore campaign as one of the nation’s premier point guards. He started every one of Syracuse’s 40 games that season and posted averages of 11.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.7 steals while playing 35.2 minutes per contest. On March 28, 2013, he recorded a career-best 24 points to help Syracuse defeat top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the NCAA East Region semifinals, advancing to the Elite Eight round. His performance earned him Associated Press honorable mention All-American recognition along with second-team All-Big East accolades.

On April 10, 2013, Carter-Williams announced his decision to enter the NBA draft, foregoing his remaining two years of collegiate eligibility.

2013–14 season: Rookie of the Year

Michael Carter-Williams entered the NBA as a highly regarded point guard prospect, chosen 11th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2013 draft. He officially joined the team on September 24, 2013. In his first NBA game on October 30, he delivered an impressive stat line with 22 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 9 steals—setting a new rookie record for steals in a debut—helping the Sixers defeat the reigning champions Miami Heat. Within his initial week, he earned Player of the Week recognition, becoming the first rookie to do so since Shaquille O'Neal in 1992.

On December 3, Carter-Williams achieved his inaugural triple-double by posting 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists during a double-overtime victory against the Orlando Magic. This game was historic as it marked the first occasion where two rookies recorded triple-doubles in the same contest. He was honored as Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November 2013 after leading all rookies in scoring (17.2 points per game), assists (7.3 per game), steals (2.92 per game), and playing time (36.2 minutes per game). He repeated this accolade in January 2014, topping rookie scoring charts again with 16.5 points per game and ranking second in rebounds (5.6), assists (5.6), and minutes played (33.3).

During February's All-Star weekend, Carter-Williams took part in both the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and Taco Bell Skills Challenge. On March 10, he notched his second triple-double of the season with 23 points, 10 assists, and 13 rebounds—becoming the first rookie in franchise history to record multiple triple-doubles within a single season—and secured Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for March.

He wrapped up his rookie campaign averaging 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest, joining an elite group alongside Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as one of only three rookies at that time to average at least 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. On May 5, 2014, Carter-Williams was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year title, making history as the first player selected tenth or later to win since Mark Jackson in 1987.

2014–15 season

Following shoulder surgery in May 2014, Carter-Williams was sidelined for the 2014 NBA Summer League, preseason training camp, and early games of the regular season. Nevertheless, on October 31, the Sixers opted to extend his rookie contract through the 2015–16 season by exercising their third-year team option.

He made his season debut on November 13 against the Dallas Mavericks, leading Philadelphia with 19 points along with adding 8 rebounds and 5 assists despite a heavy loss of 123–70. On November 29, Carter-Williams recorded his third career triple-double by tallying 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out a career-best 16 assists during a narrow defeat to Dallas at 110–103. His fourth triple-double came on December 13 with a stat line of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in an overtime loss against the Memphis Grizzlies (120–115). On January 30, he posted his fifth triple-double with totals of 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves (103–94).

Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2016)

On February 19, 2015, Carter-Williams was involved in a three-team trade that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee from Phoenix. In return, Phoenix acquired Brandon Knight from Milwaukee while Philadelphia received a future first-round draft pick from Phoenix via a transaction involving the Los Angeles Lakers. Carter-Williams made his Bucks debut on February 25 by contributing seven points and eight assists in a win over his former team Philadelphia (104–88). On April 8, he scored a season-high of thirty points during a loss to Cleveland Cavaliers and matched that scoring output five days later to help Milwaukee secure a win against Philadelphia (107–97).

Starting strong in the following season (2015–16), Carter-Williams averaged solid numbers across four games:12.8 points,6.8 assists,4.5 rebounds,1.8 steals,and one block per contest before missing five games due to an ankle injury. After returning on November14 , he started eleven consecutive games but was relegated to a bench role on November29 following decreased production; between November14 and November27 , he averaged only9.1 points and3.7 assists per game . On December5 , coming off the bench , he scored20 points alongside five assists in a victory over New York Knicks . Additional highlights included grabbing a season-best12 rebounds against Dallas on January8 and distributing a career-high13 assists versus Sacramento on February1 . His season was cut short on March7 due to a torn labrum injury in his left hip .

Chicago Bulls (2016–2017)

On October 17, 2016, Carter-Williams was exchanged to the Chicago Bulls in return for Tony Snell. He made his first appearance on October 27, contributing five points, six rebounds, and three assists off the bench during a 105–99 victory over the Boston Celtics. However, on November 1, he was sidelined for an estimated four to six weeks due to a bone bruise in his knee and a sprained left wrist. After recovering, he returned on December 26, playing 19 minutes and scoring one point against the Indiana Pacers. On February 3, 2017, he achieved his season-high with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists despite a 121–117 loss to the Houston Rockets.

Charlotte Hornets (2017–2018)

Carter-Williams signed with the Charlotte Hornets on July 7, 2017. Unfortunately, his season was cut short on March 9, 2018, after sustaining a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder.

Houston Rockets (2018–2019)

Carter-Williams joined the Houston Rockets on July 6, 2018. On December 19, he made a crucial late three-pointer in a 136–118 triumph over the Washington Wizards, aiding the Rockets in setting an NBA record by making 26 three-pointers in a single game. On January 7, 2019, he was traded back to the Chicago Bulls along with cash considerations in exchange for a protected second-round draft pick in 2020 but was promptly waived by Chicago.

Orlando Magic (2019–2023)

On March 15, 2019, Carter-Williams inked a 10-day contract with the Orlando Magic, which was extended with a second 10-day deal on March 25. That same day, he scored a season-best 15 points during a 119–98 victory over his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Subsequently, on April 4, 2019, the Magic signed him for the remainder of that season.

He re-signed with Orlando on July 10, 2019, agreeing to a one-year deal. Later, on November 24, 2020, Carter-Williams secured a two-year contract worth $6.6 million with the Magic.

On August 23, 2021, he underwent surgery on his left ankle which caused him to miss the beginning of the 2021–22 NBA season. Without appearing in any games that season, he was waived on February 10, 2022. Carter-Williams returned to sign again with Orlando on February 26, 2023.

Mexico City Capitanes (2023)

Carter-Williams signed with the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League on October 30, 2023. He departed from the team on December 26, 2023 citing personal reasons.

In an interview conducted in October 2024, Carter-Williams publicly announced his retirement from professional basketball.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 70 || 70 || 34.5 || .405 || .264 || .703 || 6.2 || 6.3 || 1.9 || .6 || 16.7 |- | rowspan="2" align="left"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 41 || 38 || 33.9 || .380 || .256 || .643 || 6.2 || 7.4 || 1.5 || .4 || 15.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 25 || 25 || 30.3 || .429 || .143 || .780 || 4.0 || 5.6 || 2.0 || .5 || 14.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 54 || 37 || 30.5 || .452 || .273 || .654 || 5.1 || 5.2 || 1.5 || .8 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Chicago | 45 || 19 || 18.8 || .366 || .234 || .753 || 3.4 || 2.5 || .8 || .5 || 6.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Charlotte | 52 || 2 || 16.1 || .332 || .237 || .820 || 2.7 || 2.2 || .8 || .4 ||4.6 |- | rowspan="2" align="left"| | style="text-align:left;"|Houston |16||1||9.1||.410|| .368|| .462|| .8||1.3|| .6|| .4||4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando |12||0||18.9||.339|| .158|| .741||4.8||4.1|| .9|| .8||5.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando |45||0||18.5||.427|| .293|| .832||3.3||2.4||1.1|| .5||7.2 |-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" | Orlando
|31||25||25.8||.389||.246||.613||4.5||4.2||.8||.5||8.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" | Orlando
|4||0||11.0||.429||.333||.571||1.3||1.8||0.3||0.3||4.3

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
|395||217||25.2||.402||.256||.705||4.3||4.3||1..3||0..5||10..2

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2015 | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 6 || 6 || 31.8 || .423 || .000 || .583 || 4.5 || 4.8 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 12.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2017 | style="text-align:left;"|Chicago | 5 || 0 || 10.6 || .400 || .000 || .500 || .8 || 1.2 || .4 || .2 || 2.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2019 | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando | 5 || 0 || 18.4 || .387 || .250 || .875 || 4.0 || 2.4 || .6 || .0 || 6.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Overall | 16 || 6 || 21.0 || .411 || .143 || .667 || 3.2 || 2.9 || .8 || .4 || 7.5

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"|Syracuse | 26 || 0 || 10.3 || .431 || .389 || .565 || 1.5 || 2.1 || .8 || .3 || 2.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2012–13 | style="text-align:left;"|Syracuse | 40 || 40 || 35.2 || .393 || .294 || .694 || 5.0 || 7.3 || 2.7 || .5 || 11.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Total | 66 || 40 || 25.4 || .398 || .307 || .679 || 3.6 || 5.2 || 2.0 || .4 || 8.2

Post-playing career

In 2021, Carter-Williams co-established the NFT enterprise DeFi Crypto Connections alongside partners Brooks Brown and Austin Greishober.

He continues to engage in youth athletics through MCW Starz, an organization founded by his mother and stepfather, and has initiated a sports trading card business featuring MLB prospect Blaze Jordan.

Beginning January 2025, Carter-Williams took on the role of men's college basketball studio and game analyst at ESPN, contributing to the ACC Network program Nothing But Net.

In May 2025, he secured a victory by decision in a charity boxing bout and intends to further develop his involvement in boxing.

Personal life

Carter-Williams is the son of Earl Williams and Mandy Zegarowski (née Carter), with Zach Zegarowski and Rosa Williams as his step-parents. He has one younger sister named Masey and three younger brothers: Marcus, Max, and Adrian. His parents first met while playing basketball at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts.

External links

Syracuse Orange biography