Two state wrestling titles came before basketball for Deron Williams, who grew into the point guard who led Illinois to the 2005 NCAA final and went third overall to Utah that June. By his second season he was second in the league in assists behind Steve Nash, once handing out 21 in a single game, and he pushed the Jazz to the 2007 Northwest Division title and their first playoff berth in three years.
A three-time All-Star with Utah and Brooklyn, Williams won Olympic gold with the American team in 2008 and 2012, played for Beşiktaş in Turkey during the 2011 lockout, and entered the Hall of Fame in 2025 as a member of the Redeem Team.
HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah took him third overall in 2005 and built a decade around him. On February 9, 2011 he overruled a Jerry Sloan play call, the two had it out, and Sloan resigned the next day after 23 years. Two weeks later, with Williams heading for free agency, the Jazz traded him to New Jersey for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, two firsts and $3 million.
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| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | UTA | 80 | 28.8 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | .421 | .416 | .704 |
| 2006–07 | UTA | 80 | 36.9 | 16.2 | 3.3 | 9.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | .456 | .322 | .767 |
| 2007–08 | UTA | 82 | 37.3 | 18.8 | 3.0 | 10.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | .507 | .395 | .803 |
| 2008–09 | UTA | 68 | 36.8 | 19.4 | 2.9 | 10.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | .471 | .310 | .849 |
| 2009–10 | UTA | 76 | 36.9 | 18.7 | 4.0 | 10.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | .469 | .371 | .801 |
| 2010–11 | UTA | 53 | 37.9 | 21.3 | 3.9 | 9.7 | 1.2 | 0.2 | .458 | .345 | .853 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 6 SEASONS | 439 | 35.6 | 17.3 | 3.2 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 0.2 | .466 | .358 | .808 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗