Gus Williams, who assisted bring Seattle its very first and just NBA champion in 1979, has actually passed away. He was 71.
Williams, a shooting guard, invested 11 seasons in the NBA (1975-87) with the Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors, Washington Bullets and Atlanta Hawks.
In 825 profession regular-season video games, Williams balanced 17.1 points, 5.6 helps, 2.0 takes and 2.7 rebounds per video game.
As kept in mind by Jim Miloch on Twitter/X, Williams' 19.5 points per video game is the second-highest playoff scoring average of any retired gamer in NBA history (minimum of 90 video games) who is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Williams was called a second-team All-American at USC in 1975. He was consequently prepared 20th general by the safeguarding champ Warriors.
Nicknamed “The Wizard,” Williams was the runner-up to Alvan Adams for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award in 1976. That year, he balanced 11.7 points per video game for the Warriors in his very first expert season.
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1981: Gus Williams # 1 of the Seattle Supersonics dribbles the ball versus the Washington Bullets throughout an NBA basketball video game circa 1981 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Williams played … Focus on Sport/Getty Images
2 years later on, Williams signed with the SuperSonics, where he delighted in the best success of his profession.
Williams assisted Seattle beat Washington in the 1979 NBA Finals, balancing 29.0 points in the five-game series. He brought that success over to the 1979-80 season, balancing 22.1 points per video game and ending up 8th in MVP ballot. Williams and colleague Dennis Johnson were called second-team all-NBA guards after the season.
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Williams missed out on all of the subsequent season claiming a brand-new agreement– Seattle went 34-48 in his lack– then re-signed with the SuperSonics in June 1981. He would declare his holdout was inspired by more than dollars and cents, his subsequent agreement for 5 years and $3 million turned heads at the time.
Williams enjoyed his finest season in 1981-82, making the very first of 2 successive All-Star groups, balancing a career-high 23.4 points per video game, and making his only profession first string all-NBA choice after the season.
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The Sonics traded Williams to Washington after the 1983-84 season, and he invested 2 years in the Bullets' backcourt. His last season was 1986-87 with the Hawks.
Williams was residing in a care center in the Baltimore location at the time of his death, according to the Seattle Times.
The Times keeps in mind that Williams suffered a stroke in Feb. 2020, which resulted in the starting of the Sonics Legends Fund– a company that raised cash to assist spend for Williams, Slick Watts, and other previous Sonics handling health problems.
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