51 Facts About Kelly Williams

Kelly Williams was born on February 7,1982 and is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA.

Kelly Williams played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he represented the Philippines in international competitions.

Kelly Williams's father died of cancer at the age of 69 when he was seven years old.

Kelly Williams attended Martin Luther King High School where he played in the Detroit PSL basketball league.

Kelly Williams was named an all-district and all-state player as he averaged 35 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and two assists per contest.

Kelly Williams was recruited to play for De La Salle in the Philippines.

Kelly Williams chose to stay close to home, and attended Oakland University for four years, with the highlight of his career coming in his freshman year when the Grizzlies upset the University of Michigan.

Kelly Williams won that season's Slam Dunk Contest and was an All-Star.

Kelly Williams finished the season with the league's Most Valuable Player award, garnering 2,762 votes over Santos' 1,775, and was named to the All-Defensive Team.

Kelly Williams missed some games after being poked in the eye by Jay-R Reyes of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

Kelly Williams was one of the candidates for that conference's Best Player award.

Kelly Williams was unable to defend his Slam Dunk title.

Santos and Kelly Williams both lost the Best Player award to James Yap.

Kelly Williams then shared Player of the Week honors with his teammate Jimmy Alapag.

Kelly Williams won his first Comeback Player of the Year Award that season for overcoming his health problems.

Kelly Williams faced off against Santos in the finals, and won over him .

Kelly Williams however, saw a dip in his stats as he averaged lows of around seven points and six rebounds while playing 22 minutes.

Kelly Williams was able to make meaningful contributions to the team, such as when he scored 14 points while defending Kia's import Hamady N'Diaye to lead the Tropang Texters to the win.

Kelly Williams came back from an MCL injury he suffered with the national team in a Philippine Cup game against the NLEX Road Warriors.

Kelly Williams then had six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes against the Blackwater Elite.

Kelly Williams didn't make the All-Star team, despite his playoff resurgence.

Kelly Williams joined Bong Alvarez as the only multi-time winners of the Comeback Award.

Kelly Williams had to ride a motorcycle which he booked via Angkas to get to the arena.

Kelly Williams was able to play in the second half, and the KaTropa won the game.

Kelly Williams filled in for Mo Tautuaa, who had food poisoning.

Kelly Williams then missed the start of the Commissioner's Cup due to an injury in his upper body.

In Game 3 of their 2019 Philippine Cup quarterfinal series against the Beermen, Kelly Williams threw Santos to the floor while they were going for a rebound.

Kelly Williams missed games during the Commissioner's Cup due to a back injury.

On September 7,2020, Kelly Williams announced his retirement from the league on social media.

Kelly Williams received tributes from former coaches, teammates and rivals.

On March 4,2021, TNT announced that Kelly Williams would be back with the team, as he had signed a two-year deal with them.

Kelly Williams said that his decision to retire was a "rash decision".

Kelly Williams missed the first four games of their semifinal series due to being put in the league's health and safety protocols.

Kelly Williams then had 11 points and 10 rebounds that clinched TNT a spot in the 2021 Philippine Cup finals.

Kelly Williams was able to play in Game 2, and hit one of TNT's PBA finals record 13 three-pointers made in the first half.

Kelly Williams ended the season with a spot on the All-Defensive Team despite being 40 years old.

In 2005, Kelly Williams was spotted by then Philippine National Team head coach Chot Reyes after the latter liked the former's work ethic and style of play.

Kelly Williams agreed to it, ensuing his arrival at the local basketball scene.

In 2007, Kelly Williams was looked at as a replacement for Rafi Reavis in that year's SEABA tournament.

Kelly Williams didn't get to play in the SEABA tournament, but he was given permission to play in other tournaments in preparation for the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship.

Kelly Williams missed some games due to a hamstring injury, but eventually made the team that would compete in the FIBA Asia Championship.

Kelly Williams was again named into the RP Training Pool under Coach Yeng Guiao in 2008.

Kelly Williams returned to the national team in 2010 for the Asian Games.

In 2011, Kelly Williams was the starting power forward for the Smart Gilas national basketball team, who finished 4th in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.

Kelly Williams was able to play in an exhibition match against NBA stars that year.

In 2013, Kelly Williams was part of the tallest national team pool assembled at the time.

In 2015, Kelly Williams tore his MCL while training with the team.

Kelly Williams was preparing to be called up for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.

In 2018, Kelly Williams was considered a part of the TNT core that would play in that year's Asian Games.

At 40 years old, Kelly Williams returned to the national team for the February window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Kelly Williams was first diagnosed with the recurring rare blood disorder in 2009.