Freeman Williams
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| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Williams as a senior at PSU | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Script error: No such module "person date". Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: No such module "person date". Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Manual Arts (Los Angeles, California) |
| College | Portland State (1974–1978) |
| NBA draft | 1978: Script error: No such module "Ordinal". round, Script error: No such module "Ordinal". overall pick |
| Drafted by | Boston Celtics |
| Playing career | 1978–1993 |
| PositionTemplate:Pluralize from text | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Number | 20, 5 |
| Script error: No such module "sports career". | |
| Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Career highlights | |
| |
| Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,738 (14.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 510 (1.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 516 (1.6 apg) |
Freeman Williams Jr. (May 15, 1956 – April 19, 2022) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Portland State Vikings, where he was a two-time All-American and twice led the nation in scoring. He began his NBA career playing Page Template:Fraction/styles.css has no content.2+1⁄2 years with the San Diego Clippers, and also had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Washington Bullets.
College career
Williams attended Portland State University, where he became the school's all-time scoring leader.[1] He was the NCAA scoring champion in 1977 and 1978, and a consensus second-team All-American in 1978. He is third in Division I history in career scoring, trailing only Pete Maravich and Antoine Davis.
Professional career
Williams was a 1978 first round draft pick (8th overall) by the Boston Celtics.[2] His pro playing career started in 1978 with the San Diego Clippers. On January 19, 1980, Williams scored 51 points in a game against the Phoenix Suns.[3] In December 1980, Freeman became the first Clippers player to win a Player of the Month award, and the only one in franchise history until Elton Brand did so 25 years later.[4] He finished in the top 10 in three-point field goals for three consecutive seasons from 1980 through 1982.[5] In the middle of the 1981-82 season, the Clippers traded Williams to the Atlanta Hawks for Al Wood and Charlie Criss.[6]
In September 1982, Williams was traded along with John Drew and cash to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Dominique Wilkins, who was drafted by the Jazz and refused to sign.[7] After that season (1982–83), Williams only played in 27 more games: 18 with Utah in 1983 and nine with the Washington Bullets in 1986.
Williams played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the Tampa Bay Thrillers from 1984 to 1986 and the Pensacola Tornados during the 1987–88 season.[8] He won a CBA championship with the Thrillers in 1985.[9] He was selected as the CBA Playoff/Finals Most Valuable Player in 1985.[8]
In 1987, Williams played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the Tanduay Rhum Masters, where he famously scored 82 points, including 10 three-pointers, in one game.
Personal life
Freeman had a small part in the 1992 film White Men Can't Jump, playing fictional playground legend Duck Johnson.[10]
During and after his playing career, Williams struggled with substance abuse issues. After his professional basketball career ended, he became close friends with John Lucas II, who also struggled with substance abuse, and Lucas became a mentor of sorts to Williams.[11]
Williams died on April 19, 2022. He was 65.[12] He was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery.[13]
Career statistics
| 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 |
NBA
Source[5]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | San Diego | 72 | 16.6 | .490 | .776 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .6 | .0 | 10.2 | ||
| 1979–80 | San Diego | 82 | 25.8 | .480 | .328 | .815 | 2.3 | 2.0 | .9 | .1 | 18.6 | |
| 1980–81 | San Diego | 82 | 24.1 | .465 | .340 | .852 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .1 | 19.3 | |
| 1981–82 | San Diego | 37 | 10 | 21.8 | .456 | .324 | .843 | 1.4 | 1.8 | .6 | .0 | 16.5 |
| Atlanta | 23 | 0 | 8.2 | .382 | .200 | .846 | .5 | .8 | .3 | .0 | 4.8 | |
| 1982–83 | Utah | 18 | 3 | 11.7 | .356 | .286 | .720 | .9 | .6 | .3 | .1 | 5.1 |
| 1985–86 | Washington | 9 | 0 | 12.2 | .373 | .500 | .706 | 1.3 | .8 | .8 | .1 | 7.7 |
| Career | 323 | 13 | 20.5 | .467 | .331 | .824 | 1.6 | 1.6 | .8 | .1 | 14.7 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Atlanta | 1 | 4.0 | .000 | .000 | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
See also
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career scoring leaders
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kasinitz, Aaron (July 14, 2014). "Portland State basketball legend Freeman Williams returns for documentary screening". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ 1978 NBA Draft on Basketballreference.com
- ^ Placing Portland State basketball legend Freeman Williams’ career in proper perspective: ‘He was an icon’
- ^ CLIPPERS: Brand Named Western Conference Player of the Month
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Freeman Williams NBA Statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Williams dealt to Hawks: Clippers trade leading scorer". The Desert Sun. January 21, 1982. Retrieved April 21, 2022 – via The University of California Riverside Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research.
- ^ NBA.com: Dominique Wilkins Bio
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Freeman Williams minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."1984-85 Tampa Bay Thrillers Statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Crowe, Jerry (March 23, 2008). "Text messages from press row . . ". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ Placing Portland State basketball legend Freeman Williams’ career in proper perspective: ‘He was an icon’
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Former Jazz Star Freeman Williams Passed Away At The Age Of 65". NBA.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ Freeman Williams, Jr.
External links
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