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Jason Williams Retires. Anyone Else Surprised? By C.Y. Ellis
09.26.2008 - Updated on 10.1.2008
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After signing a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Clippers this summer, Jason Williams was expected to make an attempt at a comeback after a couple of lacklustre seasons with the ailing Heat. It’s a bit of a surprise, then, to read today’s news that the formerly problematic point guard has called it quits on his career, bowing out before even reporting to camp for the Clippers.
If you’re wondering what inspired his decision to retire, you’re not alone. After averaging nearly nine points and five assists last season and ranking eighth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, J-Will was still a productive NBA player, and a potential starter for more than a few franchises. While he likely would have seen only mid-rotation minutes in L.A., the chance to pick up another season’s salary on what promises to be a decent squad should have been incentive enough to make the trip out west.
Instead, Whit Eboy decided he was done. At least, he decided he was done with the NBA. With Euroleague powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv reportedly prepared to offer him more cash than anyone Stateside, this may not be the final buzzer for Williams so much as a time-out. Could he simply be taking a break in anticipation of a big deal across the pond or is this actually the end for him?
If it really is, it’s time to reminisce on the rollercoaster that was Jason WIlliams’ life in the league. While he may have made the news for the wrong reasons too many times over the past decade, he never failed to entertain, developing a fanbase as strong in China as in his home state of West Virginia. While some careers are measured in rings or statistics, Jason Williams’ contribution to the game is evident in the highlight reels. As the spiritual successor of Pete Maravich and Earl Monroe, White Chocolate brought the streets to the stadium, perplexing opponents with an array of crossovers and no-look passes more often seen on asphalt than hardwood.
So, what’s your favourite Jason WIlliams memory? Let us know in the comment box below. |
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Posted by
on 10.7.2008 | williams is the man. haters get no play on my watch. wa wa. just mad the white boy ull spank you if you get out of line. . | Posted by
e-duble
on 10.5.2008 | I saw him hit a 45 foot shot at the buzzer when he played for Sacramento it was against the Lakers in LA. The Clippers would of and maybe still do have a decent squad. He should play. . | Posted by
imojo
on 10.2.2008 | jason Has done alot for the NBA like sooo many others you can’t stay on top forever- we wish him the best of luck . | Posted by
coldstone
on 09.30.2008 | just a one hit wonder. sick rookie r and thats it. he has no heart . | Posted by
40inchleaper
on 09.30.2008 | come on he just showed some crazy passes. nothing impressive. i’ll give him a D . | Posted by
Max in Denver
on 09.30.2008 | i’m sick of african american people whinning that blacks dont get respected. thats bull. this guy has an article published because he was a fun white guy to watch play basketball and you wanna jump on someone for not writing about a guy who hasn’t ever won a ring never played for a winning team never made his team a tv basketball team. its jealous. everyone loves jordan everyone. i love to watch talent thats what everyone likes to watch you just wanna make it race related i feel sorry for ya. anyways its J-Will that played for the fans and made everyone go back and look for those old pistol pete vids. he just played the game the way he wanted to he played cause he loved the game. he changed because he understood what it took to help win a ring. i’m not saying this guy was ever the best player on his team but look at this alright. webber best games were played with j-will. gasol best with j-will. wade and shaq never won a ring without j-will. he makes people around him better players . he deserves recognition for what he brought to the nba this guy with never be forgoten to the die hard nba fans. Best of luck J-WILL!!! . | Posted by
kupal
on 09.29.2008 | I’m so glad that he retired. If he was african american, his game will not be recognized. His game will be just an ordinary african american’s game. It just happened that he’s white, & not too many white ballers can play like african americans like he did. He’s like Larry Bird. I give him a D- for his game. And I am being generous. Thank you very much. . | Posted by
JB
on 09.29.2008 | i think he will be back! . | Posted by
on 09.28.2008 | He was my hero... I cant believe he retired... I literally Cried . | Posted by
TEMPY
on 09.28.2008 | JWILL WAS THE CLOSEST THING TO PETE MARAVICH, HIS PASSES WERE SO SICK HE INSPIRED ME TO PLAY BASKETBALL AND GET TRICKY WITH THE BALL. WATCHING HIM PLAY FOR THE KINGS IN HIS PRIME LEFT ME IN AWE. WELL MIS U J-WILL . | Posted by
black pride
on 09.27.2008 | That’s exactly what I was talking about C.Ellis. It’s a popularity contest with you people. It’s not going to kill the site to write about a good guy for one day. Some of the sh*t that’s wrote on this site is not even great topics. You’re free to write about whatever, but it would be nice to see the good players respected every once in a while. You’ll give a player that is selfish and disrespects more attention than a person who is just as good, but doesn’t pop out at you. Anyway I didn’t mean to come off as disrespectful, but it just gets tiring when the media shows too much love to certain people, and not enough to others . | Posted by
Future Scout
on 09.27.2008 | I didn’t see it on youtube. I was saw watching the game on tv a few years back when J-Will played with the Kings and A.I with the sixers . | Posted by
Future Scout
on 09.27.2008 | I didn’t see it on youtube. I was saw watching the game on tv a few years back when J-Will played with the Kings and A.I with the sixers . | Posted by
KING MIKE
on 09.27.2008 | I DON’T CARE WHAT NOODY SAYS....(J. WILL) WAS THAT DUDE. I BET IF HE WOULDN’T HAVE NEVER MESSED UP HIS KNEES....EVERYBODY WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT HIM IN THE SAME BREATH AS ANY OF THE TOP POINT GUARDS IN THE LEAGUE RIGHT NOW. . | Posted by
i’ll miss jason williams
on 09.27.2008 | damn i wish he’d stayed longer in the league although he might have had many turovers to have the balls to do some things he did on the court, incredible passes which neither nash or even kidd would have thought of...never saw the vid of him against a.i can anyone tell me if its on youtube? . | Posted by
i’ll miss jason williams
on 09.27.2008 | damn i wish he’d stayed longer in the league although he might have had many turovers to have the balls to do some things he did on the court, incredible passes which neither nash or even kidd would have thought of...never saw the vid of hi against a.i can anyone tell me if its on youtube? . | Posted by
KING MIKE
on 09.27.2008 | I DON’T CARE WHAT NOODY SAYS....(J. WILL) WAS THAT DUDE. I BET IF HE WOULDN’T HAVE NEVER MESSED UP HIS KNEES....EVERYBODY WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT HIM IN THE SAME BREATH AS ANY OF THE TOP POINT GUARDS IN THE LEAGUE RIGHT NOW. . | Posted by
J.Nguyen
on 09.26.2008 | Eh. Jason Williams wasn’t anything special. The guy is not a leader, defense is terrible and his jumpshot is suspect. Once Hubie Brown got a hold of him, the dream was over. No doubt Jason Williams got some spectacular passes but he did his fair share of turnovers, too. Dude had skills but didn’t know how to utilize them. I really think he retired because he hates the Clippers. He still got a ring riding DWade’s coat tails just like GP. He should be happy. . | Posted by
C.Y. Ellis
on 09.26.2008 | For the record, b.p., the site was undergoing maintenance the day Abdur-Rahim retired. By the time we were back in action, it was old news. Click on the "NBA News & Rumors" link in the left navigation and you’ll see that there was no news at all posted the day it was announced, or for two days after that. Even if we had been running when Shareef retired, we still probably wouldn’t have given him much coverage. Why? Because he avoided controversy and played the game the right way throughout his career. Unfortunately, that’s never going to interest people as much as a guy who flips the bird at fans and throws off-the-elbow passes. If you can accuse us of any bias, it’s a bias towards style over substance. You’d have to cast that aspersion at the media as a whole as well, though. You’d have to bring the fans into it, too. Abdur-Rahim was unquestionably a more valuable player than Williams over the course of their respective careers, but Williams sold more jerseys every single year. . | Posted by
black pride
on 09.26.2008 | what a surprise, talk about he white man when he retires. but the same week, when one of the best and underrated players this decade retires no talk of the black muslim brotha. shareef abdur-rahim deserves some recongition, come on hoopsvibe quit being bias . |
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