Scott Williams (basketball)

Scott Williams
Born	(1968-03-21) March 21, 1968 Hacienda Heights, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player (retired), coach, broadcaster
Years active	1990–2005 (player), post-2005 (coach and broadcaster)
Known for	NBA player, three-time NBA champion with Chicago Bulls, NBA Development League assistant coach, NBA broadcaster

Scott Christopher Williams (born March 21, 1968) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6 feet 10 inches tall, he primarily occupied the positions of power forward and center. Early in his tenure, Williams secured three NBA championship rings as a vital reserve player during the Chicago Bulls' first trio of consecutive titles from 1991 through 1993. Throughout a career spanning over fifteen seasons, he established himself as a dependable frontcourt substitute recognized for his energetic play and defensive prowess. Following his retirement from playing, Williams transitioned into coaching roles within the NBA Development League and NBA, as well as working as a broadcaster for multiple NBA franchises. Presently, he serves as the color commentator for the Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball program.

Early life and college career

Williams showcased his basketball talents at Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, California, where he led the 1986 squad to a C.I.F State Championship victory and received McDonald's All-American distinction. He then enrolled at the University of North Carolina.

At age 19, during his sophomore season, Williams endured a family tragedy when his father fatally shot his mother before taking his own life; this devastating news was conveyed to him by Coach Dean Smith. Growing up, Williams was an avid supporter of the Los Angeles Lakers.

College statistics

|- | align="left" | 1986–87 | align="left" | North Carolina | 36 || 1 || 15.0 || .497 || .000 || .558 || 4.2 || 0.9 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 5.5 |- | align="left" | 1987–88 | align="left" | North Carolina | 34 || 33 || 26.5 || .572 || .429 || .673 || 6.4 || 1.2 || 1.3 || 1.3 || 12.8 |- | align="left" | 1988–89 | align="left" | North Carolina | 35 || 30 || 22.9 || .556 || .000 || .654 || 7.3 || 0.7 || 0.9 || 1.4 || 11.4 |- | align="left" | 1989–90 | align="left" | North Carolina | 33 || 30 || 24.6 || .554 || .143 || .615 || 7.3 || 0.8 || 1.1 || 1.2 || 14.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 138 || 94 || 22.1 || .551 || .235 || .633 || 6.2 || 0.9 || 1.0 || 1.2 || 10.9 |}

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 1990 NBA draft, Williams signed with the Chicago Bulls in 1990, spending four seasons primarily as a backup and earning three NBA titles during his initial three years with the team. A highlight includes his performance in Game 3 of the 1991 NBA Finals, where he contributed four points and crucial rebounds in an overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 16, 1994, he achieved a personal best by scoring 22 points against the Miami Heat.

Williams moved to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1994; however, injuries curtailed his effectiveness through four and a half seasons until a trade to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999 reinvigorated his career. During the 1999–2000 NBA season, he reached career-high averages of 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, including an impressive outing with 17 points and 15 rebounds versus the Orlando Magic. He played an integral role on the 2000–01 Milwaukee Bucks season squad that advanced to the conference finals but fell to Philadelphia; Williams missed Game 7 due to suspension following an upgraded flagrant foul.

Williams extended his playing career until retiring in 2005 at age 37, with additional tenures at the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. In his final year, he was both LeBron James' oldest teammate and the sole player born in the 1960s on that roster.

He belongs to an exclusive group of four players who have shared locker rooms with both LeBron James and Michael Jordan, uniquely having been teammates with Jordan on the Bulls and later with James during his career.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 1990–91† | align="left" | Chicago | 51 || 0 || 6.6 || .510 || .500 || .714 || 1.9 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 0.3 || 2.5 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 1991–92† | align="left" | Chicago | 63 || 0 || 11.0 || .483 || .000 || .649 || 3.9 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 0.6 || 3.4 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | 1992–93† | align="left" | Chicago | 71 || 5 || 19.3 || .466 || .000 || .714 || 6.4 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 0.9 || 5.9 |- | align="left" | 1993–94 | align="left" | Chicago | 38 || 11 || 16.8 || .483 || .200 || .612 || 4.8 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 7.6 |- | align="left" | 1994–95 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 77 || 43 || 23.1 || .475 || .000 || .738 || 6.3 || 0.8 || 0.9 || 0.5 || 6.4 |- | align="left" | 1995–96 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 13 || 1 || 14.8 || .517 || .000 || .833 || 3.5 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 3.1 |- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 62 || 52 || 21.2 || .509 || .000 || .691 || 6.4 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 0.7||5.8 |- | align="left" | 1997–98 | align="left" | Philadelphia |58||7||13.8|| .437|| .000|| .810||3.6||0.5||0.3||0.4||4.1 |- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Philadelphia |2||0||8.5|| .000|| .000|| .000||1.0||0.5|| 1.0||0.5||0.0 |- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Milwaukee |5||0||5.8|| .333|| .000|| .571||2.4||0.0||0.2||0..2||2..8 |- |- align= " left " |-align= " left " |-align= " left " |-align= " left " |-align= " left " |- class= " sortbottom " |-align= " center " colspan= "2"| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career |-align= " center "| Career

Playoffs

1990–91†	Chicago	12	0	6.0	.462	.000	.550	1.7	0.3	0.1	0.3	1.9
1991–92†	Chicago	22*	0	14.6	.486	.000	.714	4.3	0.3	0.3	0.8	4.0
1992–93†	Chicago	19	0	20.8	.506	.000	.552	5.8	1.4	0.4	0.9	5.5
1993–94	Chicago	10	0	15.1	.421	.000	.714	3.9	0.7	0.7	0.3	6.3
1999–00	Milwaukee	5	0	18.6	.639*	.000	.833	5.6	0.4	0.4	1.0	10.2
2000–01	Milwaukee	17	17	22.2	.492	.000	.571	7.2	0.7	0.6	1.4	7.9
2002–03	Phoenix	6	6	13.8	.344	.000	1.000	2.5	0.2	0.7	0.5	4.0
2003–04	Dallas	3	0	3.7	.000	.000	.000	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0
Career		94	23	16.0	.480	.000	.634	4.6	0.6	0.4	0.8	5.2

Post-retirement

Following his playing career, Williams moved into broadcasting, initially joining the Cleveland Cavaliers' FSN Ohio team as a color analyst during the 2005–06 NBA season. He worked alongside Michael Reghi for two seasons before transitioning to the Milwaukee Bucks' broadcast crew in October 2007, where he provided pregame and postgame commentary as well as occasional play-by-play duties.

In 2008, Williams took on the role of color commentator for the Phoenix Suns, collaborating with Tom Leander and Gary Bender.

Williams broadened his professional scope by entering coaching during the 2012–13 NBA Development League campaign, serving as an assistant coach for the Idaho Stampede before accepting an assistant coaching position with the Milwaukee Bucks under Larry Drew ahead of the 2013–14 NBA season.

By the time of the 2014–15 season, he was contributing as a game analyst for Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball broadcasts on Fox 10 Extra, working alongside Barry Buetel.

In a revealing discussion on the "Sixers Talk" podcast in 2020, Williams acknowledged that Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls played a pivotal role in launching his NBA career despite going undrafted, recounting how Jordan invited him to a scrimmage that ultimately led to a recommendation to Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, facilitating his entry into the league.

External links

• Profile on NBA.com
• Career statistics at Basketball-Reference
• Official personal website