Michael Carter-Williams (born October 10, 1991) 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 was drafted in the first round with the 11th overall pick in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

by 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 ...

, after playing

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 the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the college athletics in the United States, athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East ...

. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, and he has also played for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

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 ...

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, and

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

High school career

Carter-Williams attended Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in

Hamilton, Massachusetts Hamilton is a town in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,561. Notably, the town has no industrially-zoned land. Though Hamilton is a landlocked tow ...

as a freshman. He was 5'9" as a freshman, and led his team and conference in scoring with 20 points per game and a league championship. In 2008, Carter-Williams transferred to the boarding school St. Andrew's in

Barrington, Rhode Island Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, approximately southeast of Providence. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 17,153. Barrington was founded by Congregationalist separ ...

where he lived in a dormitory during his final three years of high school. In his three years as a starter, he averaged 25.4 points per game. As a senior, he averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. After his sophomore season in high school, Carter-Williams committed to attend Syracuse where he played on their basketball team. He visited colleges in August after his sophomore year in 2009 and received scholarship offers from other schools such as Providence, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Clemson. Later in his high school career, he played on the same AAU team as future 76ers' teammate,

Nerlens Noel Nerlens Noel (born April 10, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His collegiate basketball career ended in his first season with a tear of his ant ...

College career

Carter-Williams had a subdued freshman season at Syracuse in 2011–12 as he played behind Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters. The season began about how Carter-Williams envisioned with him coming off the bench but solidly in Jim Boeheim's rotation. That niche role gradually eroded, however, as Jardine and Triche solidified their starting roles and Waiters emerged as the best sixth man in the nation. It was a difficult first season for him in which he did not play in games and received sporadic minutes in others. He finished the season averaging 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 10.3 minutes in 26 total games (no starts).Michael Carter-Williams Stats
/ref> During the 2012 offseason, Carter-Williams worked on his game, from lifting weights daily and drinking protein shakes to try to get stronger, to doing shooting drills every morning and improving his nutrition. His hard work over the offseason translated into Carter-Williams' emergence as a breakout star for Syracuse and one of the best point guards in the nation during the 2012–13 season. He went on to start his first game for Syracuse in the season opener and kept his starting role for the entire season, starting all 40 games. He finished his sophomore season with averages of 11.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.7 steals in 35.2 minutes per game. On March 28, 2013, he scored a career-high 24 points as he led Syracuse past the No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers 61–50 in the NCAA's East Region semi-finals as they advanced to the NCAA's Elite Eight. At the conclusion of the season, he earned

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

honorable mention

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors, as well as second-team All-Big East honors. On April 10, 2013, Carter-Williams declared for the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (2013–2015)

2013–14 season: Rookie of the Year

Many draft outlooks ranked Carter-Williams as a top point guard prospect and a top ten prospect overall. Carter-Williams was selected 11th overall in the

by the

. Carter-Williams, along with

, were both officially signed by the 76ers on September 24, 2013. On October 30, 2013, in his NBA debut, he recorded 22 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 9 steals (the most steals ever made by a rookie on debut) in a 114–110 win over the defending champion

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. Less than a week later, he had a 26-point, 10 assist performance in a 107–104 win over the Chicago Bulls. He was subsequently named the Player of the Week in only his first week in the NBA, a feat last achieved by

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

in 1992. On November 9, 2013, Carter-Williams recorded a career-high 13 assists to go with 21 points in a 127–125 double overtime loss to Cleveland. On December 3, 2013, he recorded his first triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in 47 minutes in a 126–125 double-overtime victory over the

. Rookie Victor Oladipo of the Magic also recorded his first career triple-double in the same game, marking the first and only time in NBA history that two rookies have recorded triple-doubles in the same game. The last time that two players had recorded their first career triple-doubles in the same game was when Detroit Pistons Donnie Butcher and Ray Scott did it on March 14, 1964 (they were not rookies). It was also the first time that two opponents had recorded triple-doubles in the same game since Caron Butler and Baron Davis had done so on November 23, 2007. Carter-Williams was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November 2013. He led all rookies in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists (7.3 apg), steals (2.92 spg) and minutes (36.2 mpg) over this stretch. He was again named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games of January 2014. During January he led all rookies in scoring (16.5 ppg), and ranked second in rebounding (5.6 rpg), assists (5.6 apg) and minutes (33.3 mpg). During the month of February, Carter-Williams participated in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. On March 10, 2014, Carter-Williams recorded his second career triple-double with 23 points, 10 assists, and 13 rebounds in a 123–110 loss to the New York Knicks. He became the first rookie in 76ers franchise history to record two triple doubles in a season. Carter-Williams was again named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the month for March 2014. He is the first rookie in 76ers franchise history to be named conference rookie of the month three times. On April 14, 2014, Carter-Williams recorded 21 points and a career high 14 rebounds. The 14 rebounds were the most recorded by a point guard in the

2013–14 NBA season The 2013–14 NBA season was the 68th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 29, 2013, with the Indiana Pacers hosting a game against the Orlando Magic followed by the 2012–13 NBA champions Miam ...

. Carter-Williams finished his rookie season with averages of 16.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 6.3 apg. At the time, he was one of only three players in NBA history to average 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a rookie season, the other players being

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...

and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

, though Luka Dončić has also achieved it. On May 5, 2014, he was named the 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the first rookie drafted 10th or later to win the award since Mark Jackson in 1987.

2014–15 season

After undergoing shoulder surgery in May 2014, Carter-Williams subsequently missed the 2014 NBA Summer League and training camp, before later being ruled out for the start of the 2014–15 regular season as well. Despite the injury, the 76ers exercised their third-year team option on Carter-Williams' rookie scale contract on October 31, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season. Carter-Williams returned from injury on November 13 to make his season debut against the Dallas Mavericks. In 30 minutes off the bench, he recorded a team-high 19 points as well as 8 rebounds and 5 assists in a 123–70 loss. On November 29, 2014, Carter-Williams recorded his third career triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and a career high 16 assists in a 110–103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He went on to record his fourth career triple-double on December 13, 2014, with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 120–115 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzles. On January 30, he recorded his fifth career triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 103–94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2016)

On February 19, 2015, Carter-Williams was traded to the

in a three-team deal involving the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. As part of the deal, Milwaukee also received Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee from Phoenix, while Phoenix received Brandon Knight from Milwaukee, and Philadelphia received a future first-round pick from Phoenix via the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On February 25, he made his debut for the Bucks, recording 7 points and 8 assists as a starter in a 104–88 win over his former team the Philadelphia 76ers. On April 8, he scored a season-high 30 points in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Five days later, he matched his season-high with 30 points in his first game back in Philadelphia since being traded to lead the Bucks to a 107–97 win over the 76ers. Carter-Williams began the 2015–16 season strongly for the Bucks, averaging 12.8 points, 6.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks over the first four games. He subsequently missed the next five games with an ankle injury, returning to action on November 14. He started in his first 11 games of the season before being moved to the bench on November 29 in favor of Jerryd Bayless after a string of poor performances – between November 14 and November 27, he averaged much lower numbers with 9.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. On December 5, he had his best game since the season opener, recording 20 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds off the bench in a 106–91 win over the New York Knicks. On January 8, he recorded 15 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a 96–95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On February 1, he recorded 18 points and a season-high 13 assists in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. On March 7, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his left hip.

Chicago Bulls (2016–2017)

On October 17, 2016, Carter-Williams was traded to the

in exchange for Tony Snell. He made his debut for the Bulls in their season opener on October 27, 2016, recording five points, six rebounds and three assists off the bench in a 105–99 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. On November 1, 2016, he was ruled out for four to six weeks after he sustained a bone bruise with no ligament damage to his knee, as well as a left wrist sprain. He returned to the Bulls lineup on December 26, 2016, and finished with one point (0-for-5 from the field) in 19 minutes against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On February 3, 2017, he had a season-best game with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists as a starter in a 121–117 loss to the

Charlotte Hornets (2017–2018)

On July 7, 2017, Carter-Williams signed with the

. On March 9, 2018, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder.

Houston Rockets (2018–2019)

On July 6, 2018, Carter-Williams signed with the

. On December 19, 2018, in a 136–118 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

, Carter-Williams hit a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to give the Rockets an NBA-record 26th 3-pointer for the game. On January 7, 2019, Carter-Williams was traded, along with cash considerations, to the

in exchange for a 2020 protected second-round pick. He was immediately waived by the Bulls upon being acquired.

Orlando Magic (2019–2023)

On March 15, 2019, Carter-Williams signed a 10-day contract with the

. He signed a second 10-day contract on March 25. That same day, he recorded a season-high 15 points in a 119–98 win over his former team, the

. On April 4, 2019, the Magic signed Carter-Williams for the remainder of the season. On July 10, 2019, Carter-Williams re-signed with the Magic on a one-year contract. On November 24, 2020, Carter-Williams re-signed with the Magic on a 2-year, $6.6 million contract. On August 23, 2021, Carter-Williams underwent surgery on his left ankle and was ruled out for the start of the 2021–22 season. On February 10, 2022, he was waived without playing a game during the season for the Magic. On February 26, 2023, Carter-Williams re-signed with the Magic.

Mexico City Capitanes (2023)

On October 30, 2023, Carter-Williams signed with the

Mexico City Capitanes The Mexico City Capitanes () are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Mexico City. The Capitanes competed as a member club in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) for its first three seasons and the franchise is currently ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. On December 26, 2023, Carter-Williams parted ways with Capitanes for personal reasons. In October 2024, Carter-Williams mentioned he was retired in an interview.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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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 ...

, 70 , , 70 , , 34.5 , , .405 , , .264 , , .703 , , 6.2 , , 6.3 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 16.7 , - , rowspan="2" align="left", , style="text-align:left;",

, 41 , , 38 , , 33.9 , , .380 , , .256 , , .643 , , 6.2 , , 7.4 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 25 , , 25 , , 30.3 , , .429 , , .143 , , .780 , , 4.0 , , 5.6 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 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 Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 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 , , .3 , , .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 , , .5 , , 10.2

Playoffs

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2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

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, 6 , , 6 , , 31.8 , , .423 , , .000 , , .583 , , 4.5 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

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, 5 , , 0 , , 10.6 , , .400 , , .000 , , .500 , , .8 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, 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", Career , 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", Career , 66 , , 40 , , 25.4 , , .398 , , .307 , , .679 , , 3.6 , , 5.2 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , 8.2

Post-playing career

Carter-Williams formed NFT company DeFi Crypto Connections with partners Brooks Brown and Austin Greishober in 2021. Carter-Williams is also involved with youth athletics organization MCW Starz, which was founded by his mother Mandy and step-father Zach, as well as a sports trading card project he founded with MLB prospect Blaze Jordan. In January 2025, Carter-Williams joined

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

as a men's college basketball studio and game analyst. He appears on the

ACC Network ACC Network (ACCN) is an American multinational subscription-television channel owned and operated by ESPN Inc. Dedicated to coverage of the Atlantic Coast Conference, it was announced in July 2016 and launched on August 22, 2019. The channel ...

show ''Nothing But Net''. In May 2025, Carter-Williams fought in a charity

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

event and won by decision. He has stated plans to continue fighting and potentially pursue a career in the sport.

Personal life

Carter-Williams is the son of Earl Williams and Mandy Zegarowski (née Carter) and step-son of Zach Zegarowski and Rosa Williams. He has a younger sister, Masey, and three younger brothers: Marcus, Max, and Adrian. His parents met while the two were both basketball players at Salem State University in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

References

External links

Syracuse Orange bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter-Williams, Michael 1991 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American men's basketball players Basketball players from Essex County, Massachusetts Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls players Houston Rockets players McDonald's High School All-Americans Mexico City Capitanes players Milwaukee Bucks players Orlando Magic players People from Hamilton, Massachusetts Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Point guards Syracuse Orange men's basketball players