Few guys had a career that involved as much transformation as Jason Williams.
He was a high school teammate of Randy Moss who was suspended and eventually kicked off his college team at Florida. He entered the NBA all flash — ridiculous passes (like the legendary elbow pass from the Rookie Game) and wild moves, just follow this link to the highlights — but eventually he settled down and was the steady point guard on the 2006 championship Heat (scoring 12 points a game in those playoffs.
That career ended as Williams announced his retirement after a dozen years in the league. He had battled injuries all season and was not on the Memphis playoff roster.
For his career he averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists per game for a career that included time with the Kings as well as the Grizzlies (twice), Heat and Magic. Numbers do a poor job of capturing what he brings to the party — he knew how to put on a show. But by the end he was a more traditional point guard, a guy who last year gave the Magic solid backup minutes at the point.
He will be missed. He was a unique player ad personality.
