Kelly Williams

Kelly Williams

No. 21 – Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters
Position	Stretch Forward
League	PBA
Personal information
Born	(1982-02-07) February 7, 1982 Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	Filipino
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Martin Luther King High School (Detroit, Michigan)
College	Oakland (2000–2004)
PBA draft	2006 Round: 1st / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Sta. Lucia Realtors
Pro playing career	2006–present
Career history
Sta. Lucia Realtors (2006-10) Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (2010-Present)
Career highlights and awards
PBA Rookie of the Year (2007) PBA All-Rookie Team (2007) 2x PBA Mythical First Team (2007, 2008, 2011) PBA Most Valuable Player (2008) PBA All-Defensive Team (2008) PBA Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference (2008) PBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (2008), (2011) 3x PBA Mythical Second Team (2009, 2010, 2012) PBA Comeback Player of the Year (2010) 5-Time PBA All-Star (2007-11)

Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982 in Detroit, Michigan) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association.^[1] Williams, a former PBA Most Valuable Player, played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he represents the Philippines in international competitions.

Early life

Williams was born in Detroit, Michigan to an American father and a Filipina mother. He attended Martin Luther King High School where he earned four varsity letters in basketball under head coach Benny White in the Detroit PSL basketball league. He was elected the team's co-captain in 2000, the same year that he led the Crusaders to the state semi-finals. Williams is a two-time all-league honoree.

As a senior, Williams was named an all-district and all-state player as he averaged 35 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and two assists per contest.^[2] During that time, the Crusaders were ranked in the state as high as number one, and was only defeated in the semi-final round of the state championships.

Williams completed high school in 2000. During his four years, Martin Luther King had a 68–16 win-loss record.

Collegiate career

Kelly Williams attended Oakland University for four years, with the highlight of his career coming in his freshman year when the Grizzlies upset the University of Michigan.

• 2000–2001: Williams scored 18 points in Oakland's upset of Michigan on November 17, 2000. As a rookie, he ranked among the team leaders in scoring(6th), rebounding(1st), assists(4th), steals(3rd).^[3]
• 2001–2002: Williams played in every game for the Golden Grizzlies as a sophomore.
• 2002–2003: Williams played in every game for a third straight year for OU in 2002–2003, finishing third on the squad in rebounding.
• 2003–2004: Williams had a solid senior season, ranking among the team leaders in scoring(4th), rebounding(3rd), assists(4th), and steals(4th).^[4]

Statistics

^[3][4][5][6]

Amateur career

The 6-foot-7 high-leaper played for Magnolia in the Philippine Basketball League where he averaged team-bests 37.1 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the 2005 Unity Cup.

Professional career

When the Realtors took the first overall draft right in 2006, they did not hesitate to pick Kelly Williams over two-time UAAP MVP Arwind Santos, who was later picked second overall by the Air21 Express. During his rookie season, he normed averages of 28.3 points and 9.6 rebounds earning him the Rookie of the Year award, making him the second Realtor to do so after Jun Limpot in 1993. In his sophomore year, he improved his game immensely, helping his team win their second championship overall and grabbing the league's Most Valuable Player award along the way.

In 2008, he was again named into the RP Training Pool under Coach Yeng Guiao.

In 2009, during the All-Star Week, Williams was diagnosed of thrombocytopenia and was out for the remaining games of the entire conference. With his absence, his team did not last long and was eliminated by the Burger King Whoopers. He was also cut from the training pool for the national team because of his illness.

In 2010, Williams, along with team mates Ryan Reyes and Charles Walters, was traded to the Talk N Text Phone Pals for Ali Peek, Nic Belasco, Yousif Aljamal, and Ogie Menor. The deal was brought about by Sta. Lucia's financial problems.

In 2011, Williams suited up and was the starting power forward for the Smart Gilas national basketball team, the national team of the Philippines who finished 4th in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.

His official website is www.kellywilliams21.com, where he posts game schedules, pictures and archives of his writing.

Illness

Kelly Williams will be out indefinitely for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters due to a recurring illness.

The 2008 PBA Most Valuable Player is suffering from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, the same illness that caused him to miss a significant chunk of the 2008-09 season when he was still part of the Sta. Lucia Realtors.^[7]

Statistics

Correct as of September 7, 2013^[8]

References