Legendary NBA point guard Gus Williams died on Wednesday at age 71.
Videos by Suggest
The Seattle Times reported the news of Williams’ death. The former basketball star had been living in a care facility in Baltimore since suffering a stroke in 2020. A cause of death has not been announced.
Born in Mount Vernon, New York, in 1953, Williams played college basketball at the University of Southern California. He was a second round pick in the 1975 NBA draft, selected by the Golden State Warriors, where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie team.
However, it was when Williams signed with the Seattle SuperSonics ahead of the 1977-78 season that his career truly flourished. He earned the nickname “The Wizard” and was a two-time All-Star. He also helped lead the team to their only NBA championship in 1979.
Williams wrapped up his 12-year career with stints with the Washington Bullets and the Atlanta Hawks. He finished with a 17.1 point-per-game scoring average.
His jersey was retired by both USC and the SuperSonics.
Gus Williams Helped Lead the Seattle SuperSonics to Their Only NBA Championship
Williams’ last known public appearance was at a July 2019 Seattle Mariners game, where he and his fellow SuperSonics celebrated the 40th anniversary of their NBA championship. He was joined by teammates Dennis Awtrey, Fred Brown, Tom LaGarde, Jack Sikma, Wally Walker, and coach Lenny Wilkens.
“His energy was always so positive and his sense of humor was always there,” Walker said at the time. “He got along with everybody. It was always fun with Gus, and a lot of laughs.”
“He had a lot of sayings that were just funny. One of his was, ‘There were only two kinds of people, the quick and the dead.’ And of course, he was the quick,” his teammate added. “He was lightning quick and fast, both, and he was a one-man fast break. He got the ball and he weaved through traffic… No one ever caught him.”