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NO: 24
POS: Center
HGT: 6-2
DOB: November 30, 1970
SCHOOL: UCLA ‘94
*WHERE IS WILLIAMS NOW?
- General manager of the Las Vegas Aces since April 2022.
(*As of February 2024)
WNBA TRANSACTIONS
May 4, 1999 | Selected No. 3 by Utah in the 1999 WNBA Draft. |
May 1, 2003 | Traded to Indiana. |
Feb. 11, 2005 | Signed a contract extension with Indiana. |
April 8, 2022 | Named General Manager of the Las Vegas Aces. |
WNBA REGULAR SEASON CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- 1999, 2000 and 2001 All-WNBA First Team
- 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 WNBA All-Star Games
- After Utah won 8 games in 1998, the Starzz with Williams upped their wins to 15 in 1999, 18 in 2000, 19 in 2001 and 20 in 2002.
- As a rookie in the WNBA, averaged 18.0 ppg and 9.2 rpg while making 51.9% of her field goal attempts.
- Averaged 14.2 ppg and 9.9 rpg in 2001, in leading the Starzz to their first postseason berth.
- Recorded five points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes in the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game and a game high 14 points, a game high tying eight rebounds and added three assists and one steal in the 1999 WNBA All-Star Game.
- Competed with Utah Jazz’ Jeff Hornacek, and won, the 1999 NBA All-Star 2Ball contest.
WNBA REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS
Year | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB/AVG | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS/AVG |
1999 | UTA | 28 | 26 | 954 | 180 | 347 | .519 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 144 | 191 | .754 | 109 | 148 | 257/9.2 | 25 | 38 | 22 | 68 | 108 | 504/18.0 |
2000 | UTA | 29 | 29 | 1039 | 179 | 365 | .490 | 3 | 5 | .600 | 182 | 228 | .798 | 132 | 204 | 336/11.6 | 51 | 35 | 18 | 79 | 124 | 543/18.7 |
2001 | UTA | 31 | 31 | 1064 | 171 | 349 | .490 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 97 | 133 | .729 | 111 | 197 | 308/9.9 | 55 | 41 | 10 | 70 | 128 | 439/14.2 |
2002 | UTA | 31 | 31 | 1008 | 124 | 285 | .435 | 5 | 12 | .417 | 98 | 132 | .742 | 105 | 150 | 255/8.2 | 38 | 38 | 16 | 72 | 122 | 351/11.3 |
2003 | IND | 34 | 34 | 1054 | 176 | 363 | .485 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 105 | 148 | .709 | 109 | 146 | 255/7.5 | 46 | 43 | 21 | 70 | 138 | 457/13.4 |
2004 | IND | 34 | 34 | 956 | 133 | 293 | .454 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 83 | 119 | .697 | 93 | 142 | 235/6.9 | 62 | 40 | 23 | 65 | 122 | 349/10.3 |
2005 | IND | 34 | 34 | 804 | 103 | 248 | .415 | 0 | 0 | .— | 45 | 67 | .672 | 74 | 112 | 186/5.5 | 31 | 35 | 12 | 56 | 105 | 251/7.4 |
Career | 221 | 219 | 6879 | 1066 | 2250 | .474 | 8 | 28 | .286 | 754 | 1018 | .741 | 733 | 1099 | 1832/8.3 | 308 | 270 | 122 | 480 | 847 | 2894/13.1 |
WNBA POSTSEASON CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Advanced to postseason play three times, advancing as far as the 2002 Western Conference Semifinals with Utah and the Eastern Conference Finals with Indiana.
- Averaged 14.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 1.4 bpg in 2002, in what was her most WNBA productive postseason performance.
WNBA POSTSEASON STATISTICS
- Assigned to the American Basketball League (ABL) Portland Power in 1996 as a premier player.
- 1998 ABL Most Valuable Player
- 1997 and 1998 All-ABL first team
- 1997 and 1998 ABL All-Star
- Prior to the ABL folding in December 1998, ranked among league leaders second for scoring (19.9 ppg.), rebounding (9.9 rpg.) and field goal percentage (58.0%), ninth (tie) for blocked shots (9) and 13th for steals (2.0 spg.).
- Recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds in the 1998 ABL All-Star Game and 16 points and 15 rebounds in the 1997 game.
- Finished the 1998 season as the ABL’s leading scorer (21.9 ppg.) and rebounder (11.6 rpg.), ranked second in field goal percentage (55.5%), fourth in blocks (1.1 bpg.) and tied for eighth in steals (2.0 spg.).
- Led the ABL in 1997 in rebounding (12.5 rpg.) and finished tied for fifth in scoring (17.3 ppg.)
- Recorded an ABL-high 22 double-doubles in 1996-97.
- Holds the ABL single game rebounding record with 22 vs. Atlanta (1/9/97).
ABL REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS
YEAR | G/S | FGM-FGA | PCT | 3PM-3PA | PCT | FTM-FTA | PCT | REB/AVG | PTS/AVG | AST | BLK | STL |
1999 | 13 | 94- 162 | .580 | 0- 0 | .— | 70- 95 | .737 | 129/ 9.9 | 258/ 19.9 | 29 | 9 | 26 |
1998 | 44 | 351- 633 | .555 | 1- 5 | .200 | 261- 359 | .727 | 508/ 11.6 | 964/ 21.9 | 84 | 50 | 89 |
1997 | 32 | 215- 412 | .522 | 0- 0 | .— | 125- 186 | .672 | 400/ 12.5 | 555/ 17.3 | 50 | 41 | 53 |
Totals | 89 | 660-1207 | .547 | 1- 5 | .200 | 456- 640 | .713 | 1037/ 11.7 | 1777/ 20.0 | 163 | 100 | 168 |
USA BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHTS
- Won gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, 1998 and 2002 World Championship, 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup, 1996 R. William Jones Cup.
- Named the 1999 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.
- Grabbed a USA World Cup competition record 86 rebounds in 1998 and her 9.6 rpg in 1998 stands at No. 3 among all-time USA World Cup athletes for rebounds averaged in a single competition.
- Member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team that rolled to an 8-0 record and the gold medal; averaged 9.5 ppg and a USA second best 6.2 rpg in helping the 1999-2000 USA National Team to a 38-2 exhibition record leading up to the Olympic Games.
- Helped the USA capture the 1999 USA Basketball International Invitational title.
- Member of the gold medal winning 1998 USA World Cup Team which finished with a perfect 9-0 record and was named the 1998 USA Basketball Team of the Year, aided the U.S. to a 12-1 record in its 13-game pre-World Championship tour.
- Started first three of five games before being injured in Australia in September 1998 as the USA National Team posted a 2-3 record against Australia.
- Member of the gold medal winning 1996 USA R. William Jones Cup Team; attended trials less than a month after being cut from the ‘96 U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team.
TEAM | G/S | FGM-FGA | PCT | 3PM-3PA | PCT | FTM-FTA | PCT | REB/AVG | PTS/AVG | AST | BLK | STL | |
2002 WC | 8/0 | 17- 26 | .654 | 0- 0 | .— | 13- 19 | .684 | 37/ 4.6 | 47/ 5.9 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
2002 WCP | 4/ 0 | 3- 11 | .273 | 0- 0 | .— | 3- 4 | .750 | 20/ 5.0 | 9/ 2.3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
2000 OLY | 8/ 0 | 22- 39 | .564 | 0- 0 | .— | 17- 25 | .680 | 47/ 5.9 | 61/ 7.6 | 8 | 0 | 6 | |
99-00 WNT | 40/24 | 150- 265 | .566 | 0- 0 | .— | 78- 113 | .822 | 249/ 6.2 | 378/ 9.5 | 39 | 5 | 36 | |
1998 WC | 9/ 9 | 47- 86 | .547 | 0- 2 | .000 | 17- 23 | .739 | 86/ 9.6 | 111/ 12.3 | 9 | 7 | 9 | |
1998 WCP | 13/ 5 | 76- 106 | .717 | 0- 0 | .— | 33- 42 | .786 | 99/ 7.6 | 185/ 14.2 | 12 | 10 | 27 | |
1998 WNT | 3/ 3 | 8- 25 | .320 | 0- 0 | .— | 4- 8 | .500 | 15/ 5.0 | 20/ 6.7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
1996 JC | 9/ 1 | 34- 66 | .515 | 0- 0 | .— | 14- 18 | .778 | 63/ 7.0 | 82/ 9.1 | 4 | 3 | 12 | |
Totals | 94/42 | 357- 624 | .572 | 0- 2 | .000 | 179- 252 | .710 | 616/ 6.6 | 893/ 9.5 | 74 | 30 | 101 |
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OVERSEAS CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Competed professionally in Russia for both Spartak Moscow Region and UMMC Ekaterinburg in both the EuroCup and EuroLeague competitions.
- Played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the 2003 FIBA Women’s World Cup, a pro club competition that also featured a WNBA Select Team and helped Ekat to a third-place finish; averaged 13.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg over five games in Samara, Russia.
- Played for Spartak in the 2005-06 EuroCup and averaged 14.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg in leading Spartak to the 2006 EuroCup championship.
- Averaged 7.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg in 2003-04 for UMMC Ekaterinburg in EuroLeague games.
COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS
- During her four seasons (1991-94), averaged a double-double with 20.4 ppg. and 12.8 rpg., while UCLA compiled a 64-49 record (56.6%) and advanced to the 1992 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
- Led UCLA to NCAA volleyball titles in 1991 and 1990.
- Named the Pac-10 Female Athlete of the Decade (1987-96) and to the Pac-10 All-Decade Team, encompassing all conference sports.
- Was selected (2/21/98) as one of UCLA’s 15 greatest women’s basketball players, joining the likes of Denise Curry, Ann Meyersand Jackie Joyner.
- 1994 and 1993 Naismith Player of the Year finalist.
- Named 1994 WBCA All-American first team, 1994 and 1993 All-American first team by Basketball Times and U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
- Named 1994 Pac-10 Player of the Year and 1994, 1993 and 1992 All-Pac-10 first team.
- Named 1991 Pac-10 All-Freshman Team.
- Named Pac-10 Player of the Week 16 times in her career, eight for basketball and eight for volleyball.
- Named two-time National Player of the Year and four-year All-American in volleyball at UCLA.
- Ranked second among all-time UCLA rebounders (1,137), fourth for points (1,813), third for scoring average (20.4 ppg.) and first for rebounding average (12.8 rpg.) at the end of her four-year collegiate career.
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HIGH SCHOOL
- Attended and played for Taylorsville High School in Utah.
PERSONAL
- Named Utah’s Female Athlete of the 20th Century, and became the state’s first female Olympic gold medalist in 2000.
- Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
- As a native of Utah, Williams was involved in the Salt Lake Winter Games. She was a part of the USA delegation that flew to Greece to help bring the Olympic flame to U.S. soil, welcomed athletes to the 2002 Olympic Village as mayor for a day, and took part in the 2002 Winter Olympics Torch Relay on Saturday, Feb. 8, prior to the opening ceremony.
- Finalist for the 1996 USA Olympic Volleyball Team.
- Member of the 1993 and 1991 USA World University Games volleyball team that won the bronze and silver medals, respectively; carried the torch in the 1993 World University Games opening ceremony in front of 85,000 people in Buffalo, New York.
- Member of the U.S. National Volleyball Team that won the silver in the 1993 NORECECA (America’s zone) championship.
- Daughter of Robyn Gray and Nate Williams, who played for nine seasons in the NBA.
- If she didn’t play basketball, Williams would have liked to become a veterinarian because of her love of animals (she once adopted a “pet” spider she named Charlotte while the National Team was in Slovakia in 1998).