Terrence Deshon Williams (born June 28, 1987) 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. Williams was drafted 11th overall in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball p ...

by the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. He was the senior co-captain for the 2008–09 University of Louisville Cardinals.

Early career

At Rainier Beach High School, Williams was a four-year starter on the basketball team. He helped the team to a state title in 2003. He averaged 21.7 points his senior year. He was also a starting wide receiver and free safety on the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team. He considered attending

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

and

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

before deciding to play for the University of Louisville Cardinals. In the 2007–08 University of Louisville season, Williams achieved the third and fourth triple-doubles in Louisville basketball history (the first two by

Samaki Walker Samaki Ijuma Walker (born February 25, 1976) is an American retired professional basketball power forward and center (basketball), center. Walker played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, Louisville Cardinals and wa ...

and Ellis Myles). He racked up 14 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in the Cardinals' season-opening 104–69 win over

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

and had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a January 19, 2008 loss to

Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

. Williams appeared on three straight Sports Illustrated covers and is one of few athletes to do so. He was also a finalist in the Lowe's Senior Class Award and was named to the Lowe's Senior Class All-Senior All-America first team. Williams had extraordinary overall athletic abilities as recognized by his college coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (; born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University (New York City), St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece national basketball t ...

. "He's a freakish athlete", Pitino said. He is known for his

slam dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as a dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with on ...

ing abilities and won the dunk contest at the 2005 Kentucky Derby Basketball Classic.

Professional career

New Jersey Nets (2009–2010)

Williams was drafted by the

with the 11th overall pick in the

and was signed to a four-year contract. He saw playing time early in his rookie season but was relegated to a lesser role as a result of poor behavior; he was late for meetings, missed a team bus and slept in through a shoot-around. His playing time increased after an injury to Devin Harris and a meeting with the team president, Rod Thorn, and interim coach, Kiki VanDeWeghe. On April 9, 2010, Williams recorded a triple-double with a career-high 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a double overtime 127–116 win over the

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 ...

. It was the first triple-double by a Nets rookie since 2001. Williams continued to violate team policy during the beginning of his sophomore season. Fines issued by the Nets failed to deter Williams from his past transgressions of being late to practices and team meetings. On November 26, 2010, he was assigned to the Springfield Armor of the NBA D-League. Nets head coach Avery Johnson denied that the assignment was due to disciplinary reasons but instead because the team did not have enough minutes for Williams. He was recalled on December 7, 2010.

Houston Rockets (2010–2012)

On December 15, 2010, Williams was traded to the

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) ...

in a three-team trade involving the Nets and

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 ...

. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12 games played for Rockets. On March 16, 2012, Williams was waived by the Rockets. In a 2014 interview,

Daryl Morey Daryl Morey (born September 14, 1972) is an American basketball executive who is the president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His basketball philosophy, heavily reliant on analyt ...

called the loss of a first-round pick for Williams one of his worst moves as a general manager.

Sacramento Kings (2012)

After being waived by the Rockets, Williams signed a 10-day contract with the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

on March 21, 2012. He was signed for the remainder of the season on March 31, 2012.

Guangdong Southern Tigers (2012–2013)

In October 2012, Williams joined the

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

for their training camp. On October 22, 2012, Williams was waived by the

. In November 2012, he joined the

Guangdong Southern Tigers Guangdong Hongyuan Southern Tigers () or Guangdong Southern Tigers, also known as Guangdong Dongguan Bank () for sponsorship reasons, are a Chinese professional basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway (Hongyuan) Group. The team is one of ...

of China. He left the Tigers in February 2013.

Boston Celtics (2013)

On February 20, 2013, Williams signed a 10-day contract with 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 March 3, 2013, Williams re-signed to a multi-year contract with the Celtics. His appearance on May 3, 2013, in the Celtics’ Game 6 first round playoff loss to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

would be his final appearance in the NBA. On June 30, 2013, he was waived by the Celtics.

Türk Telekom (2013)

In October 2013, Williams signed with Türk Telekom. He parted ways with them on November 14, after playing only two games in

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2013–2014)

On December 31, 2013, Williams was acquired by the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

. He set the D-Fenders franchise single-game scoring record with 50 points on January 31, 2014, against the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state s ...

, surpassing 49 earlier that season by Manny Harris.

Brujos de Guayama (2014)

In April 2014, Williams signed with Brujos de Guayama of Puerto Rico. He was waived on May 1, 2014.

Meralco Bolts (2014)

On May 18, 2014, Williams signed with Meralco Bolts, but left seven days later after just three games.

Soles de Santo Domingo (2014)

Williams joined Soles de Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic in 2014.

Reales de La Vega (2014)

Williams joined

Reales de La Vega Reales de La Vega is a professional basketball team based in La Vega Province, Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, N ...

of the Dominican Republic in 2014.

Fuerza Regia (2014–2015)

On December 26, 2014, WIlliams signed with

Fuerza Regia The Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (''Monterrey Royal Force'' in English) is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). They currently play their home g ...

of Mexico. In his first game, he scored 19 points in the game that Fuerza Regia won 101–85 against Gigantes Estado de Mexico. Williams also grabbed 2 rebounds and has 6 assists.

Vaqueros de Bayamón (2015)

On January 17, 2015, Williams signed with Maccabi Ashdod of Israel. Ten days later, he left the club before playing in a single game for them. In March 2015, he signed with

Vaqueros de Bayamón The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

of Puerto Rico. He was released by the club after appearing in just two league games.

Guaiqueríes de Margarita (2015)

In April 2015, Williams signed with Guaiqueríes de Margarita of Venezuela for the rest of the 2015 LPB season. On October 6, 2015, Williams signed with the upcoming AmeriLeague to play on the following season. However, the league folded after it was discovered the founder was a con artist.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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, 10 , , 0 , , 20.6 , , .397 , , .333 , , .500 , , 3.6 , , 3.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 6.7 , - , align="left" , , 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 ...

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, 12 , , 0 , , 15.1 , , .351 , , .421 , , .500 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 18 , , 0 , , 20.5 , , .461 , , .296 , , .618 , , 4.1 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .3 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 24 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .495 , , .333 , , .429 , , 1.8 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 153 , , 9 , , 19.1 , , .412 , , .317 , , .659 , , 3.6 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.1

Playoffs

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2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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, 5 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .200 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , .2 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 5 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .200 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , .2 , , 1.0

Personal life

Williams has estimated that he owns over 300 pairs of sneakers. His nickname is "T-Will".

Criminal charges

On October 7, 2021, the U.S. Attorney for the

Southern District of New York The Southern District of New York is a federal judicial district that encompasses the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. Federal offices or agencies operating in the distri ...

, Audrey Strauss, criminally charged Williams and 15 others in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

's health plan, in which nearly $4 million in fraudulent claims appeared to have been made. Strauss referred to Williams as the leader of the conspiracy. The charges alleged that Williams obtained fraudulent medical and dental invoices, sent them to his co-conspirators, including other former

players, and claims were submitted by the aforementioned co-conspirators to the plan, which paid "most" claims for medical care never rendered. Nineteen people were charged in the indictment on counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and

wire fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

. On August 3, 2023, Williams was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the scheme.

References

External links

Eurobasket.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Terrence 1987 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players Basketball players from Seattle Boston Celtics players Fuerza Regia de Monterrey players Guaiqueríes de Margarita players Guangdong Southern Tigers players Houston Rockets players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players Meralco Bolts players New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players Philippine Basketball Association imports Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards Springfield Armor players Türk Telekom B.K. players Brujos de Guayama players Vaqueros de Bayamón basketball players Rainier Beach High School alumni American people convicted of fraud Reales de La Vega players