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Mo Williams

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For the American football player, see Moe Williams. For the writer, see Mo Willems.

Mo Williams
Williams with the Clippers in March 2011
Alabama State Hornets
PositionHead coach
LeagueSouthwestern Athletic Conference
Personal information
Born (1982-12-19) December 19, 1982 (age 41)
Jackson, Mississippi
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High schoolMurrah (Jackson, Mississippi)
CollegeAlabama (2001–2003)
NBA draft2003: 2nd round, 47th overall pick
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career2003–2017
PositionPoint guard
Number25, 2, 5, 7, 52
Coaching career2018–present
Career history
As player:
2003–2004Utah Jazz
2004–2008Milwaukee Bucks
2008–2011Cleveland Cavaliers
2011–2012Los Angeles Clippers
2012–2013Utah Jazz
2013–2014Portland Trail Blazers
2014–2015Minnesota Timberwolves
2015Charlotte Hornets
2015–2017Cleveland Cavaliers
As coach:
2018–2020Cal State Northridge (assistant)
2020–presentAlabama State
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points10,759 (13.2 ppg)
Rebounds2,264 (2.8 rpg)
Assists3,990 (4.9 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Maurice Williams (born December 19, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high school career at Murrah High School, Williams attended college at the University of Alabama, where he led his team as a freshman to a 27–8 record, and also shared an SEC regular-season championship. After two seasons at Alabama, Williams entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Utah Jazz. Throughout his career, he has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2009, Williams was selected as an NBA All-Star. In 2016, he won his first NBA championship with the Cavaliers.

In May 2018, Williams became an assistant coach for the Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team. In May 2020, be became the head coach for the Alabama State Hornets basketball team.

College career

Williams attended college at the University of Alabama under Mark Gottfried. In 2002 as a freshman, he started every game at point guard. Williams averaged 10.4 points and 4.5 assists per game. His play helped lead the Crimson Tide to a 27–8 record, including a 17–0 home record, and the SEC regular-season championship. Williams and the Crimson Tide entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed, where they lost to Kent State 71–58 in the second round. Williams led the team in scoring and assists, averaging 16.4 points and 3.8 assists per game for the 2003 season, which ended in a first-round loss in the NCAA tournament to Indiana. He subsequently earned third-team All-SEC.

After two seasons, Williams decided to forgo his final two years at Alabama and declare for the 2003 NBA draft.[1]

Professional career

Utah Jazz (2003–2004)

Williams was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round, 47th overall of the 2003 NBA draft.[2] He averaged 5 points and 1.3 assists for the Jazz in his rookie season.[3]

Milwaukee Bucks (2004–2008)

Williams with the Bucks in April 2008

On August 8, 2004, the Milwaukee Bucks signed Williams, who was a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet.[4] On August 21, the Jazz decided to not match the Bucks' offer.[5]

Filling in for Bucks' injured starting point guard T. J. Ford, Williams averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 assists during the 2004–05 season. In his new role coming off the bench for the up-and-coming Bucks team, he showed a knack for clutch plays, making several game-winning shots in the 2005–06 season.[6][7]

In the 2006 off-season, the Bucks traded Ford to the Toronto Raptors for power forward Charlie Villanueva. This opened up a position in the starting lineup for Williams. In the first 19 games of the 2006-07 season, Williams averaged 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists in nearly 35 minutes per game, all career highs.

In a December 20, 2006, Bucks game vs. the Miami Heat, Williams recorded his first career triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.[8]

Williams was a free agent in summer 2007, but decided to stay with the Bucks by signing a six-year, $52 million deal.[9][10]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–2011)

Williams with the Cavaliers in April 2009
Williams with the Cavaliers in November 2010, defending John Wall.

On August 13, 2008, Williams was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team, six-player deal involving the Cavaliers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Oklahoma City Thunder that also sent Cleveland's Joe Smith and Milwaukee's Desmond Mason to Oklahoma City and sent Cleveland's Damon Jones and Oklahoma City's Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee.[11] Upon his arrival, he changed his jersey number to #2 because his traditional #25 was already retired by former Cavalier Mark Price.

On February 10, 2009, Williams was chosen to replace forward Chris Bosh in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.[12] He was the second alternate choice, after Ray Allen, who replaced an injured Jameer Nelson. On February 11, Williams scored a then career high 44 points to go along with 7 assists against the Phoenix Suns.[13]

During the 2008–09 season, Williams helped the Cavaliers reach a league-leading 66–16 record. The team went 39–2 at the Quicken Loans Arena.[14]

After the departure of LeBron James, Williams became a very vocal member of the Cavaliers. Amidst trade rumors, Mo hinted on his Twitter account that he didn't wish to be traded. He also criticized the events surrounding LeBron's flight from Cleveland and even shot back at insults made to the Cavaliers by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

On November 14, 2010, Williams made his first buzzer beater as a Cavalier, to win the game 83-81 over his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a 15-foot shot over Brandon Jennings as time expired. He scored a total of 25 points in the game and was the team's leading scorer.[15]

Los Angeles Clippers (2011–2012)

On February 24, 2011, Williams was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with Jamario Moon in exchange for Baron Davis and a first round pick, which ended up being the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Kyrie Irving.[16] With the Clippers, Williams was immediately inserted into the starting lineup to play both guard positions, and was able to raise his averages in points-per-game and field goal percentage.

The following season, the Clippers traded for Chris Paul and claimed Chauncey Billups off waivers, making Williams the Clippers' new sixth man. He embraced the role and finished eighth in voting for NBA Sixth Man of the Year.[17]

Return to Utah Jazz (2012–2013)

On June 29, 2012, Mo Williams was traded back to the Jazz in a 4 team deal that sent Lamar Odom to the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz's trade exception to the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers also sent their second round pick Furkan Aldemir to the Houston Rockets.[18]

Portland Trail Blazers (2013–2014)

On August 8, 2013, Williams signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.[19] On November 23, 2013, in a game against the Warriors, Williams was ejected along with teammate Wesley Matthews after getting involved in an altercation. He was subsequently suspended for one game. Williams injured his groin in game two of the Trail Blazers' second round play-off match-up against the San Antonio Spurs.[20]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2014–2015)

On July 30, 2014, Williams signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[21][22] On January 13, 2015, Williams scored a career-high 52 points on 19-of-33 shooting, breaking the franchise single-game scoring record set by Kevin Love and Corey Brewer by one point in a 110–102 win over the Indiana Pacers. This was just the third time in Williams' career that he scored more than 40 points in a game.[23] He subsequently earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors for the week of January 12–18.[24]

Charlotte Hornets (2015)

On February 10, 2015, Williams was traded, along with Troy Daniels and cash considerations, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Gary Neal and a 2019 second-round draft pick.[25] He made his debut for the Hornets on February 21 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, recording 24 points and 12 assists in a 110–103 loss.[26] Williams continued to play well as he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 2 through Sunday, March 8. Williams, who led the Hornets to the NBA's only 4–0 record in the week, was previously named Western Conference Player of the Week on January 19 while playing for the Timberwolves, making him the first player to earn the honor in both conferences in the same season since the award was split into two conferences starting with the 2001–02 season. Over the four-game week, Williams averaged 19.5 points and 10.8 assists in 35.5 minutes played, while shooting .429 from the field (24-56), .375 from beyond the three-point line (9-24) and .913 from the free throw line (21-23). The only Eastern Conference player to average double figures in assists, he also posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.78.[27]

Return to Cleveland (2015–2017)

On July 10, 2015, Williams signed a two-year, $4.3 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, returning to the franchise for a second stint and reuniting him with LeBron James.[28][29] In his first game for the Cavaliers since 2011, Williams recorded 19 points and 7 assists, filling in for the injured Kyrie Irving as a starter in the team's season opening loss to the Chicago Bulls on October 27.[30] Over the Cavaliers' first 23 games of the season, Williams played in 20 of them and started in 14. Over that stretch, he averaged 13.0 points and 4.1 assists in 27.6 minutes per game, as he shared the point guard role with Matthew Dellavedova. However, upon the return of Kyrie Irving from injury on December 20, Williams' role decreased and his minutes were drastically reduced,[31] partially due to suffering from his own injury, a torn ligament in his right thumb.[32] On January 12, he was excused by the team from their game in Dallas to tend to a personal matter.[33] He started seeing more minutes in early February, but following the All-Star break, he appeared in just one game between February 18 and March 24 due to swelling in his left knee after being diagnosed with chondromalacia. He made his return to the line-up on March 26 against the New York Knicks, scoring eight points in 13 minutes off the bench.[34] However, in early April, he began experiencing discomfort and increased soreness in his left knee, forcing him to miss more time.[35][36] Williams received limited playing time during the Cavaliers' playoff run, a run that saw the team reach the 2016 NBA Finals with a 12–2 record. Williams made his first appearance in the NBA Finals during a Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Despite the Cavaliers going down 3–1 in the series following a Game 4 loss, they went on to win the series in seven games to become the first team in NBA history to win the championship after being down 3–1.

On June 14, 2016, before the end of the 2016 NBA Finals, Williams exercised his player option with the Cavaliers for the 2016–17 season.[37] Williams originally declared that the 2016–17 season would be his last,[38][39] but on September 26, 2016, he announced his intentions to retire from the NBA.[40] However, he never officially signed retirement papers and instead remained on the Cavaliers' roster.[41] Not being a rotation player in 2015–16 for the first time had been the most challenging time of Williams' career, and while the departure of Matthew Dellavedova in the 2016 off-season opened a spot at point guard, the Cavaliers drafted Kay Felder in the 2016 draft, which would have left Williams a third-string point guard for a second straight season.[41] Williams did not join the playing group for the 2016–17 season and in October 2016, he underwent surgery on his left knee.[42] In January 2017, rumors began to surface of Williams being a possible trade piece for the Cavaliers.[43]

On January 7, 2017, Williams was traded, along with Mike Dunleavy Jr. and a future first-round draft pick, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kyle Korver.[44] He was later shipped to the Denver Nuggets alongside cash considerations on January 18, 2017 in exchange for the rights to Cenk Akyol; he was immediately waived by the Nuggets upon being acquired.[45] Two days later, he was claimed off waivers then immediately waived by the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers reportedly made the claim in order to get $2.2 million closer to the salary floor while preventing the Nuggets from doing so after Denver acquired Williams in a trade with the Hawks.[46] He was later claimed and waived by the Nuggets on January 23 for a similar reason.[47][48]

Coaching career

In May 2018, Williams was named an assistant coach for the Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team, effectively ending his playing career.[49] In May 2020, he was appointed head coach of the Alabama State Hornets basketball team.[50]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Utah 57 0 13.5 .380 .256 .786 1.3 1.3 .5 .0 5.0
2004–05 Milwaukee 80 80 28.2 .438 .323 .850 3.1 6.1 .9 .1 10.2
2005–06 Milwaukee 58 12 26.4 .424 .382 .850 2.5 4.0 .9 .1 12.1
2006–07 Milwaukee 68 68 36.4 .446 .346 .855 4.8 6.1 1.3 .1 17.3
2007–08 Milwaukee 66 66 36.5 .480 .385 .856 3.5 6.3 1.2 .2 17.2
2008–09 Cleveland 81 81 35.0 .467 .436 .912 3.4 4.1 .9 .1 17.8
2009–10 Cleveland 69 68 34.2 .442 .429 .894 3.0 5.3 1.0 .3 15.8
2010–11 Cleveland 36 34 29.6 .385 .265 .833 2.7 7.1 .9 .3 13.3
2010–11 L.A. Clippers 22 22 32.9 .422 .398 .880 2.5 5.6 .9 .0 15.2
2011–12 L.A. Clippers 52 1 28.3 .426 .389 .900 1.9 3.1 1.0 .1 13.2
2012–13 Utah 46 46 30.8 .430 .383 .882 2.4 6.2 1.0 .2 12.9
2013–14 Portland 74 0 24.8 .417 .369 .876 2.1 4.3 .7 .1 9.7
2014–15 Minnesota 41 19 28.0 .403 .347 .851 2.4 6.4 .7 .2 12.2
2014–15 Charlotte 27 14 30.8 .390 .337 .892 2.8 6.0 .6 .2 17.2
2015–16† Cleveland 41 14 18.2 .437 .353 .905 1.8 2.4 .3 .1 8.2
Career 818 525 29.2 .434 .378 .871 2.8 4.9 .9 .1 13.2
All-Star 1 0 17.0 .500 .400 .000 2.0 5.0 .0 .0 12.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006 Milwaukee 5 0 15.0 .500 .182 .000 .6 2.0 .2 .0 7.2
2009 Cleveland 14 14 38.6 .408 .372 .767 3.2 4.1 .7 .1 16.3
2010 Cleveland 11 11 37.4 .409 .327 .804 3.1 5.4 .5 .2 14.4
2012 L.A. Clippers 11 0 20.8 .436 .364 .923 .8 1.4 .5 .5 9.6
2014 Portland 8 0 23.4 .373 .238 .909 1.5 1.9 .4 .0 7.4
2016† Cleveland 13 0 5.2 .286 .231 .500 .5 .2 .3 .0 1.5
Career 62 25 24.4 .409 .330 .809 1.5 2.6 .5 .1 9.8

References

  1. ^ "Alabama's Mo Williams Enters NBA Draft". MyPlainview.com. May 7, 2003. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  2. ^ "Tide's Mo Williams Drafted in 2nd Round By Utah Jazz". RollTide.com. June 26, 2003. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "Mo Williams 2003-04 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "Mo Williams signs offer sheet with Bucks". HeraldExtra.com. Daily Herald. August 8, 2004. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "Utah has two Olympians available at point". ESPN.com. August 21, 2004. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "Bucks rally, paralyze Pacers with buzzer-beater". USAToday.com. USA Today. November 13, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2005.
  7. ^ Borzi, Pat (January 29, 2006). "Clock Expires as Comeback by Knicks Falls Short". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2006.
  8. ^ "Mo effort: Williams' triple-double helps Bucks rout Heat". ESPN.com. December 20, 2006. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
  9. ^ "Williams' six-year deal reportedly worth $52 million". ESPN.com. July 16, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  10. ^ Milwaukee Bucks (May 29, 2012). "Mo Williams Press Conference July 24, 2007". Youtube.com. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  11. ^ "Cavaliers Acquire Williams in Three-Team Trade". NBA.com. August 13, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  12. ^ "Cavs' Williams gets spot after all". ESPN.com. February 11, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  13. ^ "Williams powers Cavs to 40th win; Suns without Nash". ESPN.com. February 12, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  14. ^ "2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  15. ^ "Williams' shot at buzzer lifts Cavs". CNN.com. November 14, 2010. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  16. ^ "CLIPPERS ACQUIRE WILLIAMS AND MOON". NBA.com. February 24, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  17. ^ "Thunder's James Harden wins Kia Sixth Man Award". NBA.com. May 10, 2012. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  18. ^ "Jazz Obtains Mo Williams in Four-Team Trade". NBA.com. June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  19. ^ "TRAIL BLAZERS SIGN GUARD MO WILLIAMS". IAmATrailBlazersFan.com. August 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  20. ^ "Portland's Williams unlikely for Game 3". NBA.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  21. ^ "Timberwolves Sign Guard Mo Williams". NBA.com. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  22. ^ "Timberwolves announce signing of veteran guard Mo Williams". FoxNews.com. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  23. ^ Johnson, Jim (January 13, 2015). "Mo Williams scores 52, Wolves top Pacers to end 15-game skid". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  24. ^ "WOLVES' MO WILLIAMS NAMED NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR JAN. 12-18". NBA.com. January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  25. ^ "Hornets Acquire Guards Mo Williams, Troy Daniels from Minnesota". NBA.com. February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  26. ^ Reed, Steve (February 21, 2015). "Westbrook nets 33, Thunder top Hornets 110-103 minus Durant". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  27. ^ "Mo Williams Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  28. ^ "Cavs Sign guard Mo Williams". NBA.com. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  29. ^ Windhorst, Brian (July 6, 2015). "Mo Williams returning to Cavaliers on 2-year, $4.3 million deal, sources say". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  30. ^ Seligman, Andrew (October 27, 2015). "With Obama watching, Bulls hold off Cavaliers 97-95". NBA.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  31. ^ "Mo Williams 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  32. ^ Haynes, Chris (January 10, 2016). "The demotion of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams and his thumb injury status". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  33. ^ "Cavs guard Mo Williams excused by team from game at Mavs". Yahoo.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  34. ^ Mahoney, Brian (March 26, 2016). "James, Love carry Cavs to 107-93 victory over Knicks". NBA.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  35. ^ McMenamin, Dave (April 11, 2016). "Cavs guard Iman Shumpert out for final 2 games". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  36. ^ Fendor, Chris (April 11, 2016). "Iman Shumpert will miss remainder of the regular season after having left knee drained; Mo Williams to visit Dr. James Andrews". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  37. ^ Haynes, Chris (June 14, 2016). "Sources: Cavs guard Mo Williams to pick up player option for next season". Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  38. ^ Herbert, James (September 21, 2016). "Mo Williams announces he'll return to Cavaliers for final season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  39. ^ Vardon, Joe (September 21, 2016). "Mo Williams says he's returning to the Cavs for 'one more year'". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  40. ^ Vardon, Joe (September 26, 2016). "Mo Williams changed his mind again and is retiring from the Cavaliers". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  41. ^ a b Albertie, Quenton (December 15, 2016). "Would Mo Williams Play For Another Team". KingJamesGospel.com. Fansided. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  42. ^ Vardon, Joe (October 12, 2016). "Mo Williams, still on Cavs roster, had knee surgery Wednesday". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  43. ^ Wilson, Josh (January 6, 2017). "Could Mo Williams End Up on the Sixers This Season?". TheSixerSense.com. Fansided. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  44. ^ "Hawks Acquire First Round Pick, Dunleavy & Williams From Cavs For Kyle Korver". NBA.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  45. ^ "Denver Nuggets Trade Rights to Cenk Akyol to Atlanta Hawks". NBA.com. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  46. ^ "SOURCE: SIXERS CLAIM, THEN WAIVE MO WILLIAMS". csnphilly.com. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  47. ^ Inabinett, Mark (January 23, 2017). "The Mo Williams' contract odyssey continues in the NBA". AL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  48. ^ Prada, Mike (January 23, 2017). "Why Mo Williams has been on 4 different teams this year despite not playing 1 minute". SBNation.com. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  49. ^ Fenno, Nathan (May 23, 2018). "Former UCLA coach Jim Harrick and former NBA player Mo Williams join coaching staff at Cal State Northridge". latimes.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  50. ^ Hudson, Jamie (May 12, 2020). "Former Trail Blazers PG Mo Williams named head coach at Alabama State". Nbcsports.com.
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