Freeman Williams

American basketball player (1956–2022)

Freeman Williams Jr. (May 15, 1956 – April 19, 2022) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Portland State Vikings, where he was a two time All American and twice led the nation in scoring. He began his NBA career playing 2 1/2 years with the San Diego Clippers, and also had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Washington Bullets.

Williams attended Portland State University, where he became the school's all time scoring leader. He was the NCAA Division I scoring leader in 1977 and 1978, and a consensus second team All American in 1978. He is third in Division I history in career scoring, trailing only Pete Maravich and Antoine Davis.

Williams was a 1978 first round draft pick (8th overall) by the Boston Celtics. His pro playing career started in 1978 with the San Diego Clippers. On January 19, 1980, Williams scored 51 points in a game against the Phoenix Suns. In December 1980, Freeman became the first Clippers player to win a Player of the Month award, and the only one in franchise history until Elton Brand did so 25 years later. He finished in the top 10 in three point field goals for three consecutive seasons from 1980 through 1982. In the middle of the 1981 82 season, the Clippers traded Williams to the Atlanta Hawks for Al Wood and Charlie Criss. In September 1982, Williams was traded along with John Drew and cash to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Dominique Wilkins, who was drafted by the Jazz and refused to sign. After that season (1982–83), Williams only played in 27 more games: 18 with Utah in 1983 and nine with the Washington Bullets in 1986. In 1987, Williams played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the Tanduay Rhum Masters, where he famously scored 82 points, including 10 three pointers, in one game.

Freeman had a small part in the 1992 film White Men Can't Jump, playing fictional playground legend Duck Johnson. During and after his playing career, Williams struggled with substance abuse issues. After his professional basketball career ended, he became close friends with John Lucas II, who also struggled with substance abuse, and Lucas became a mentor of sorts to Williams. Williams died on April 19, 2022. He was 65.

Season Team GP MPG RPG APG PPG 1978–79 Clippers 72 16.6 1.4 1.2 10.4 1979–80 Clippers 82 25.8 2.3 2.0 18.6 1980–81 Clippers 82 24.1 1.6 2.0 19.3 1981–82 Clippers/Hawks 60 16.6 1.0 1.4 12.0 1982–83 Jazz 18 11.7 0.9 0.6 5.1 1985–86 Bullets 9 12.2 1.3 0.8 7.7 Career 6 Seasons 323 20.5 1.6 1.6 14.7