Deron Michael Williams is an American former professional basketball player.
65 Facts About Deron Williams
2.
Deron Williams played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz.
3.
In elementary school and middle school, Deron Williams won two state wrestling championships.
4.
Deron Williams attended The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas and averaged 17 points, 9.4 assists, and 2 steals per game as a junior in 2001.
5.
Deron Williams was a teammate of Bracey Wright who went on to play for Big Ten rival Indiana University.
6.
Deron Williams was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media.
7.
In 2005, as a junior starting point guard, Deron Williams led the Fighting Illini to the NCAA championship game where they lost to the University of North Carolina.
8.
Illinois's road to the Final Four was marked by a comeback win over the Arizona Wildcats, where the Illini, led by Deron Williams, came back from fifteen points down in the final minutes to win the game.
9.
Deron Williams made the game-tying three-point shot with just 38.5 seconds left in regulation.
10.
Deron Williams then hit the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime, and the Illini never looked back in that game.
11.
Those honors include being named a consensus Second Team All American, as well as being named First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Tournament Team, and All-Final Four team and at the conclusion of the academic year, Deron Williams was named as the University of Illinois Athlete of the Year.
12.
Deron Williams was a finalist for the Wooden Award and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
13.
Deron Williams was named First-Team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2004 and as a junior in 2005, the year in which Deron Williams, called by coach Bruce Weber "the MVP of the team", led the Illini to the Final Four.
14.
Deron Williams declared for the NBA draft after the 2005 season, forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility.
15.
Deron Williams started the season coming off the bench, eventually moved into the role of starting point guard, and was later sent back to the bench.
16.
Deron Williams finished his rookie season averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game, in 80 games played.
17.
Deron Williams played his best basketball of the season in the first three games, averaging nine assists and over thirty points over that span.
18.
Deron Williams was very aggressive from the beginning of the game.
19.
Deron Williams's outside shot was going and he was aggressive in getting everyone involved.
20.
Deron Williams scored a then-career high 41 points on December 8,2007, in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, although they ended up losing the game.
21.
Deron Williams elevated all of his stats, improving to 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game, third in the league behind Chris Paul and Steve Nash.
22.
Deron Williams did win the NBA Skills Challenge over All-Star weekend.
23.
In March, Deron Williams recorded 212 assists, the most by any NBA player in any month since John Stockton in January 1992.
24.
Deron Williams was the leading scorer for the Jazz in the 2008 playoffs.
25.
Deron Williams missed thirteen of the first fifteen games of the season due to a second-degree ankle sprain sustained in the preseason against the Chicago Bulls.
26.
On March 1,2009, Deron Williams became the second active player after Steve Nash to reach 20 or more assists in at least four games in their career.
27.
On December 14,2009, Deron Williams was named the Western Conference Player of the Week.
28.
On January 28,2010, Deron Williams was named to participate in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
29.
Deron Williams was invited to participate in the NBA Skills Challenge, where he finished second to Steve Nash.
30.
Deron Williams repeated that feat later in series while scoring 34 points and dishing out 10 assists.
31.
On February 23,2011, Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets for guard Devin Harris, forward Derrick Favors, two first round draft picks, and $3 million in cash.
32.
Deron Williams's acquisition gave the Nets a proven NBA star to build around as the team was preparing to make the transition to their new home in Brooklyn.
33.
Deron Williams's contract allowed him to return to the NBA with the Nets once the work stoppage ended.
34.
On November 22,2011, Deron Williams scored 50 points against Gottingen, during a EuroChallenge first group-stage game.
35.
The Nets continued to struggle without Lopez, but Deron Williams played well enough to be voted into the All-Star Game for the third time in his career, as he averaged over 22 points and 8 assists at the break.
36.
On March 4,2012, Deron Williams scored a career-high and Nets franchise-high 57 points against the Charlotte Bobcats.
37.
Deron Williams broke the previous team record of 52 points held by Mike Newlin and Ray Williams.
38.
Deron Williams remained optimistic that he would resign with the Nets, but was noncommittal as he said he wanted to keep his options open and become a free agent at the end of the season.
39.
On July 11,2012, Deron Williams signed a five-year, $98.7 million deal to remain with the Nets, who had completed their move to Brooklyn.
40.
Deron Williams was encouraged to stay with the Nets after GM Billy King completed a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for six-time All-Star Joe Johnson, as well as re-signing young big man Brook Lopez and defensive player Gerald Wallace.
41.
Deron Williams scored the first regular-season points at the new Barclays Center on November 3,2012, against the Toronto Raptors.
42.
Rumors circulated that Deron Williams might have been involved in the firing, but Deron Williams denied playing a role and said he was surprised Johnson was fired.
43.
Deron Williams announced that he would miss the final two games before the All-Star break to receive a cortisone shot in both of his ankles and platelet-rich plasma treatment in his ankles.
44.
Deron Williams's problems stemmed from a bone spur that was causing inflammation in the ankle.
45.
On March 8,2013, the Nets were playing the Washington Wizards as Deron Williams hit 11 three-pointers in a single game, setting a Nets record.
46.
Deron Williams hit 9 of the 11 threes in the first half, which was an NBA record for three-pointers in a half.
47.
Deron Williams finished the night with 42 points in a Nets win.
48.
Deron Williams received a buyout from the final two seasons of his contract with the Nets.
49.
On July 14,2015, Deron Williams signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
50.
Deron Williams played in 20 minutes off the bench against the Heat, finishing with nine points and five assists.
51.
On February 11,2017, against Orlando, Deron Williams returned after missing eight games with a sprained right big toe, getting seven points and four assists in 16 minutes in the first half before sitting out the second half on a minutes restriction.
52.
On February 23,2017, Deron Williams was waived by the Mavericks.
53.
On February 27,2017, Deron Williams signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
54.
Deron Williams won a bronze medal as a member of the United States U18 team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in 2002.
55.
Deron Williams was selected as a member of the USA Olympic team for the 2008 Olympics on June 23,2008.
56.
In 8 games in the 2008 Olympics, Deron Williams averaged 8.0 points per game with 2.8 assists.
57.
Deron Williams was one of three-point guards on the national team, alongside Chris Paul and Jason Kidd.
58.
In January 2012, Deron Williams made the 19 man roster of the USA men's basketball team for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
59.
Deron Williams married Amy Young, whom he had known since second grade and had dated since high school, and has four children.
60.
Deron Williams appeared as himself on the Disney Channel show The Suite Life on Deck during the season 3 episode Twister: Part 1 along with Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.
61.
An avid boxing and MMA fan, Deron Williams has trained for years in mixed martial arts and boxing and owns a stake in Fortis MMA.
62.
Deron Williams was the cover athlete for the video game NBA Baller Beats on the Xbox 360.
63.
Deron Williams attended E3 2012 to promote the game, as well play the game in the NBA Baller Beats booth.
64.
Deron Williams currently has endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Vitaminwater, Red Bull and MetroPCS; he acquired many of the deals during his successful time with the Utah Jazz.
65.
Since joining the Nets, Deron Williams has starred in commercials for Red Bull and MetroPCS.