Earl Williams (basketball player)
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born |
Levittown, Pennsylvania | March 24, 1951
Nationality | American / Israeli |
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
Woodrow Wilson (Levittown, Pennsylvania) |
College | Winston-Salem State (1970–1974) |
NBA draft | 1974 / Round: 3 / Pick: 49th overall |
Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
Position | Center |
Career history | |
1974–1975 | Phoenix Suns |
1975–1976 | Detroit Pistons |
1976 | New York Nets |
1977–1978 | Alvik BK (Sweden) |
1978–1979 | Boston Celtics |
1979–1983 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) |
1983–1984 | Fortitudo Bologna (Italy) |
1984–1985 | New Basket Brindisi (Italy) |
1988–1989 | Hapoel Holon (Israel) |
1989–1990 | Maccabi Ramat Gan (Israel) |
1990–1991 | Hapoel Holon (Israel) |
1993–1994 | Bnei Herzliya (Israel) |
Earl "the Twirl" Williams (born March 24, 1951) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player.[1]
Early life and education
Williams played high school basketball while attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Levittown, Pennsylvania. He played college basketball at Winston-Salem State University, with the Winston-Salem State Rams.[1]
Professional career
USA
In the 1974 NBA draft, Williams was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the 3rd round, with the 13th pick (49th overall).[1] He made his NBA debut on October 17, 1974, with Phoenix. During the next four years, he played for other NBA teams as well: the Detroit Pistons, the New York Nets, and the Boston Celtics.[1] On September 30, 1975, he was traded by the Suns to the Detroit Pistons, for a 1976 2nd round draft pick (Earl Tatum).
Sweden
In the 1977-78 season, Williams played for the Swedish League team Alvik. Alvik came in 2nd in the league that year.[2]
Israel
Williams later played professionally in the Israeli League. He starred for a portion of the time with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Holon,[3][4] and he also played with Maccabi Ramat Gan. In 1990, at age 39, he was the oldest player in the Israeli League.[5]
Italy
Williams played two seasons for Italian teams as well: Fortitudo Bologna in 1984–1985, and New Basket Brindisi in 1988–1989.
Personal
In 1982, Williams converted to Judaism.[6] Williams also became a naturalized Israeli citizen, becoming a dual US-Israeli citizen.[7][8]
During the Gulf War, in the winter of 1991, when Scud attacks from Iraq rained down on Tel Aviv and Haifa, Williams remained in Israel, visiting and assuring children, while also sealing rooms to protect the elderly from a possible chemical attack. He said:
I thought, I'm not going to leave my people when I was needed. Israel is my country just as much as America. Before converting to Judaism I was a Methodist, and I grew up knowing how to serve the Lord in the right way.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Earl Williams NBA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ↑ "1970-80 statistics". Alvik Basket.
- ↑ "Israeli Basketball Team Plays Despite Cloud of War". St. Paul Pioneer Press. February 22, 1991. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ↑ "Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv wins Euro championship". Israel21c.org. May 2, 2004. Archived from the original on 2010-06-16. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ↑ Leibowitz, Steve (25 September 1990). "Galil Stop "Upstart" Ramat Hasharon". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ↑ Weisbord, Robert G.; Kazarian, Richard (1985). Israel in the Black American perspective. Greenwood Press. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ↑ Ben-David, Calev (7 March 1991). "A whole new ball game". The Jerusalem Report. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ↑ Gordin, Joel (30 January 1991). "Israeli Basketball In Dire Straits". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ↑ Hool, Elliot (October 8, 1992). "Hoops from the Heart". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
External links
- Williams' NBA stats at basketballreference.com