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Guard · 1982–83

Freeman Williams

Twice the NCAA scoring champion at Portland State, Williams stands third in Division I history in career points, behind only Pete Maravich and Antoine Davis. The Celtics drafted him eighth overall in 1978, but San Diego was where he shone, including a 51-point game against Phoenix in 1980. Utah acquired him with John Drew in the September 1982 trade for draftee Dominique Wilkins, who had refused to sign with the Jazz.

He later scored 82 points in a Philippine league game and played playground legend Duck Johnson in the 1992 film White Men Can't Jump. Substance abuse shadowed his later years, with John Lucas II a friend and mentor. Williams died in April 2022 at 65.

HOW HE CAME & WENTHe arrived in September 1982 with John Drew and cash, in the trade that sent Dominique Wilkins to Atlanta after Wilkins refused to sign with Utah.

Full name
Freeman Williams Jr.
Utah Jazz tenure
1982–83
Position
Guard
Born
1956, Los Angeles
Died
2022
Height
6′4″ (193 cm)
Weight
190 lb (86 kg)
College
Portland State
Drafted
1978, 1st round (No. 8), Boston
Signature in the archive 1980-81 SAN DIEGO CLIPPERS AUTH 8 X 10 BILL WALTON ETC.
Also on the shelf — unsigned 1981-82 Topps

No photograph of this signature is online yet.

With the Jazz

FREEMAN WILLIAMS · 1982–83 · PER GAME
SEASONTEAMGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFG%3P%FT%
1982–83UTA1811.75.10.90.60.30.1.356.286.720
JAZZ TOTAL1 SEASON1811.75.10.90.60.30.1.356.286.720

Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗  ·  Wikipedia ↗

Did you know

FREEMAN WILLIAMS · 5 NOTES
  • Around the league they called him Silk, and simply Free.
  • He dropped 51 points on the Phoenix Suns on January 19, 1980.
  • In December 1980 he became the first Clipper ever named Player of the Month, the only one until Elton Brand repeated it 25 years later.
  • He won the 1985 CBA title with the Tampa Bay Thrillers, scoring 1,006 points in the regular season and taking Finals MVP.
  • Portland State made a documentary about him and he came back to campus for a screening in July 2014.