Rob Williams (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Robert Aaron Williams is an American
former professional basketball
player who was selected by the Denver Nuggets
in the first round (19th overall) of the 1982 NBA Draft
.
A 6-foot-2 point guard from the University of Houston
, Williams played in two NBA seasons for the Nuggets. When Williams reported to Denver's training camp as a rookie, he was badly out of shape, prompting Nuggets coach Doug Moe
to describe Williams as "a fat little hog".
Williams' collegiate career included a trip to the NCAA Final Four, where his Houston Cougars, better known as Phi Slamma Jamma
, fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the National Semifinals.
A former star at Milby High School in Houston, Williams was an electrifying player for the University of Houston, averaging 16 points per game as a freshman, 25 per game as a sophomore, and 21 points per game for the 1982 Final Four
team. Williams was an All American and perennial All Southwest Conference performer. His collegiate teammates included Hakeem Olajuwon
, Clyde Drexler
, Michael Young
, Benny Anders
and Larry Micheaux
among others.
In his NBA career, Williams played in 153 games and scored a total of 1,319 points. Following his brief NBA career, he played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association
, Italy, Australia, Spain, and the Philippines.
In 1986, Williams strutted his wares as an import for Tanduay Rhum in the Philippine Basketball Association's (PBA) Reinforced Conference that year, where teams were allowed to suit up two imports no taller than 6'3". Along with partner Andre McKoy and local superstars Ramon Fernandez, Freddie Hubalde and Willie Generalao, among others, the flamboyant and sweet-shooting Williams led Tanduay to its first championship in franchise history. In the season-ending Open Conference, where teams were allowed to play two imports, one not taller than 6'6" and another no taller than 6'3", Williams was rehired by Tanduay and paired with his Phi Slamma Jamma brod Benny Anders. However, Anders was sent home after only one game for being out of shape. Andy Thompson, brother of then Los Angeles Lakers forward Mychal, was brought in as a replacement for Anders. But Tanduay would only finish third behind eventual champion Ginebra San Miguel, which boasted of the devastating combo of former Portland Trail Blazers player Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett, and Manila Beer, which had another Houston Cougar alumnus in Michael Young and Harold Keeling.
In a May 2005 Houston Chronicle story, Williams admitted using drugs while he played. He suffered a stroke in January 1998 that left him blind in his left eye and partially paralyzed along the left side of his body.
Today, Williams and his wife run a care facility for mentally-challenged adults in Katy, Texas
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who was selected by the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
in the first round (19th overall) of the 1982 NBA Draft
1982 NBA Draft
The 1982 NBA Draft took place on June 29, 1982 at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.-Key:-Draft:-Other picks:-External links:**...
.
A 6-foot-2 point guard from the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, Williams played in two NBA seasons for the Nuggets. When Williams reported to Denver's training camp as a rookie, he was badly out of shape, prompting Nuggets coach Doug Moe
Doug Moe
Douglas Edwin Moe is an American professional basketball coach. He is most closely associated with the Denver Nuggets franchise....
to describe Williams as "a fat little hog".
Williams' collegiate career included a trip to the NCAA Final Four, where his Houston Cougars, better known as Phi Slamma Jamma
Phi Slamma Jamma
Phi Slama Jama was the nickname of the University of Houston Cougars men's basketball teams from 1982 to 1984. Coined by former Houston Post sportswriter Thomas Bonk in a January 3, 1983 article, the nickname was quickly adopted by the players and even appeared on team warmup suits by the middle...
, fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the National Semifinals.
A former star at Milby High School in Houston, Williams was an electrifying player for the University of Houston, averaging 16 points per game as a freshman, 25 per game as a sophomore, and 21 points per game for the 1982 Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
team. Williams was an All American and perennial All Southwest Conference performer. His collegiate teammates included Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
, Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
, Michael Young
Michael Young (basketball)
Michael Wayne Young is a retired American basketball player. After a 15-year playing career spent in the NBA and overseas, he is currently the director of basketball operations and performance enhancement at the University of Houston, his alma mater.- College :Young, a native Houstonian, played...
, Benny Anders
Benny Anders
Benny Anders was a star player at the University of Houston during the early 1980s and a member of the school's so-called Phi Slama Jama basketball fraternity that included Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Michael Young, Alvin Franklin, Reid Gettys, and Larry Micheaux.-High School:A cousin of former...
and Larry Micheaux
Larry Micheaux
Larry Wayne Micheaux is a retired American professional basketball player.-College:An all-state basketball player as a senior at E. E...
among others.
In his NBA career, Williams played in 153 games and scored a total of 1,319 points. Following his brief NBA career, he played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
, Italy, Australia, Spain, and the Philippines.
In 1986, Williams strutted his wares as an import for Tanduay Rhum in the Philippine Basketball Association's (PBA) Reinforced Conference that year, where teams were allowed to suit up two imports no taller than 6'3". Along with partner Andre McKoy and local superstars Ramon Fernandez, Freddie Hubalde and Willie Generalao, among others, the flamboyant and sweet-shooting Williams led Tanduay to its first championship in franchise history. In the season-ending Open Conference, where teams were allowed to play two imports, one not taller than 6'6" and another no taller than 6'3", Williams was rehired by Tanduay and paired with his Phi Slamma Jamma brod Benny Anders. However, Anders was sent home after only one game for being out of shape. Andy Thompson, brother of then Los Angeles Lakers forward Mychal, was brought in as a replacement for Anders. But Tanduay would only finish third behind eventual champion Ginebra San Miguel, which boasted of the devastating combo of former Portland Trail Blazers player Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett, and Manila Beer, which had another Houston Cougar alumnus in Michael Young and Harold Keeling.
In a May 2005 Houston Chronicle story, Williams admitted using drugs while he played. He suffered a stroke in January 1998 that left him blind in his left eye and partially paralyzed along the left side of his body.
Today, Williams and his wife run a care facility for mentally-challenged adults in Katy, Texas
Katy, Texas
Katy is a city located in Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area...
.