Elliot Jerell Williams (born June 20, 1989) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and Memphis. He was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Time Zone, Eastern Daylight Time (2300 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), was broadcast in the ...

by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

High school career

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Williams was listed as the No. 3

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

and the No. 16 player overall in the nation in 2008.

College career

Duke

For the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...

, Williams saw action in 34 of Duke's 37 games, starting in 12 contests, with 11 coming in the Blue Devils' final 12 games of the season (including ACC and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

tournaments), averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Williams also recorded 23 assists and 21 steals, and shot 44.1 percent from the field, 25 percent from the three-point arc, and 50 percent from the foul line, in helping lead Duke to a 30–7 overall record, an ACC Tournament crown, and an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance.

Memphis

Williams received an NCAA waiver in August 2009, which allowed him to play immediately for the Memphis Tigers, for the 2009–10 season, after he played with the

during the 2008–09 season. With Memphis, Williams played in a total of 68 career games, with 46 starts, and averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2010–2013)

Williams was selected 22nd overall in the

by the

. After playing in the preseason for the Trail Blazers, Williams missed the entire 2010–11 season due to a knee injury. Williams also missed a significant portion of the 2011–12 NBA season after dislocating his shoulder during an early March practice. Williams had made 24 appearances over the course of the season, averaging 3.7 points per game. Williams missed the entire 2012–13 season due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Philadelphia 76ers (2013–2014)

In September 2013, Williams signed with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. He was later waived on October 25. On November 20, 2013, Williams signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On January 5, 2014, he was assigned to the Delaware 87ers. He was recalled the next day. On October 27, 2014, he was waived by the 76ers.

Santa Cruz Warriors (2014–2015)

On November 1, 2014, Williams was selected by the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Development League draft.

Utah Jazz (2015)

On January 7, 2015, Williams signed a 10-day contract with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. On January 17, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Jazz, but after the contract expired, the Jazz decided to not retain him.

Return to Santa Cruz (2015)

Williams subsequently returned to Santa Cruz on January 27. On February 4, 2015, he was named to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015 NBA D-League All-Star Game. That same day, he signed a 10-day contract with the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. On February 10, he was waived by the Hornets before appearing in a game for them, and again returned to Santa Cruz.

New Orleans Pelicans (2015)

On March 4, Williams signed a 10-day contract with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. On March 14, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Pelicans.

Third stint with Santa Cruz (2015–2016)

Williams was not retained by the Pelicans following the expiration of his second 10-day contract on March 24, and subsequently returned to Santa Cruz two days later. On April 26, the Warriors claimed their first D-League championship as they defeated the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

2 games to 0. Along with his first D-League championship, Williams received the Finals MVP award. On July 28, 2015, Williams signed with the Charlotte Hornets, returning to the team for a second stint. However, he was waived on October 23, after appearing in two preseason games. On November 12, he was reacquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Memphis Grizzlies (2016)

On January 8, 2016, Williams signed a 10-day contract with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. He made his Grizzlies' debut that night in a 91–84 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, recording two points in nine minutes of action. After the contract expired, the Grizzlies decided to not retain him.

Fourth stint with Santa Cruz (2016)

On January 22, 2016, Williams returned to Santa Cruz. On January 29, he was named in the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game, earning his second straight All-Star nod.

Panathinaikos (2016)

On February 9, 2016, Williams left Santa Cruz and signed with Greek club Panathinaikos. In 10

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

games, he averaged 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.6 steals, in 26.3 minutes per game. In 17

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

games, he averaged 11.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 steals, in 21.4 minutes per game.

Golden State Warriors (2016)

On September 16, 2016, Williams signed with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. However, he was later waived by the Warriors on October 20; he missed all six preseason games, due to right knee surgery.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 24 , , 0 , , 6.2 , , .500 , , .296 , , .333 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 67 , , 2 , , 17.3 , , .415 , , .296 , , .731 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 5 , , 0 , , 8.4 , , .462 , , .714 , , .500 , , .6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 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

References

External links

NBA.com Profile

Euroleague.net ProfileEurobasket.com ProfileGreek Basket League Profile

Memphis Tigers College BioFor Elliot Williams, Finals MVP Just One Step on a Long Road Back
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Elliot 1989 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Greece Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Delaware 87ers players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Tigers men's basketball players New Orleans Pelicans players 21st-century American sportsmen Panathinaikos B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers players Point guards Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Santa Cruz Warriors players Shooting guards Utah Jazz players American men's basketball players