Troy Williams is an American professional basketball player who plays as a striker for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before turning pro in 2016, he was a star on the college front, playing three seasons for the Indiana Hoosiers. In the two seasons of his career, he has played for three teams, including the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks, and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Troy Williams Bio
Troy Williams was born in Hampton, Virginia, on December 30, 1994, the only child of a single mother. As a boy, he was introduced to athletics; first to baseball, and then to soccer, but none of them got his attention like basketball in his fourth grade. Although he did not approach the game with the necessary commitment at first, he was soon accepted into the middle school team by dunking. Then his interest increased and he was ready to do anything for the game that captured his heart. From that point on, he began to watch the NBA and college teams more and more, all the while cherishing the dream of one day playing like them.
Soon he was playing in high school. He played his first three seasons at Phoebus High School in Hampton, Virginia. He was very productive on the court, which the recruiting analysts noticed, and in no time he was ranked as one of the best players in his class. As such, schools such as North Carolina, Kentucky, Villanova, Louisville began calling. But just as every promotion comes with its associated responsibilities, Troy had to stay on academically to maintain the interest of analysts and schools in him and possibly earn a spot on a college team.
Consequently, he gave everything he had to maintain his ranks and grades and stay at the top. Nonetheless, his rankings slipped and programs were put on hold. As a result, he was transferred for his senior class to a prestigious school in rural southern Virginia, Oak Hill Academy. The idea was to surround him with other elite players who would not only sharpen him on the field but also challenge him in the classroom. And it paid off.
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His results were eventually littered with A’s and B’s, which brought him back to the attention of the recruiting team. As a senior, he averaged 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks in the regular season, giving him nine double-doubles. He was also named Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year and led Oak Hill to a regular-season record of 34-5 and a performance at the National High School Invitational. He ended his high school career as a top 30 recruit in the 2013 class and was recruited by Indiana University.
He started in all 32 games of his first season, scoring an average of 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, shooting 50.9%. As a sophomore, he improved his game and became a central figure in Indiana’s game after being suspended for the first four games of the season due to a drug test. He participated in all games (28 starts) and was honorably mentioned as an all-big-ten player. He led the team with an average of 7.4 rebounds per game, while he finished third in the team with 13.0 points per game. After an explosive season, he considered entering the 2015 NBA draft, and his name even appeared in sham drafts. However, he decided it wasn’t time yet and returned to the Hoosiers for his junior year.
As a junior, Troy Williams played in 35 games and made 34 starts, averaging 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also earned honors for the third team in the All-Big Ten. After the season, he was finally ready to go pro, and on May 25, 2016, he gave up his last year of qualifying to be declared for the NBA draft.
NBA Career
Troy was not included in the draft but was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies on August 8, 2016. He made his professional debut on October 29, 2016, and during his time with the Grizzlies he was awarded several contracts for the Iowa Energy of NBA Development League, which took him on February 3, 2017, after the grizzlies relinquished him. On February 18, 2017, he won the Slam Dunk competition of the 2017 NBA D-League.
Shortly thereafter he signed with the Houston Rockets and was assigned to their D-League daughter Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He was called back in April and in the first half of the Rockets’ 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns, he scored 18 of the high 21 points in his career. On February 14, 2018, the Rockets relinquished him.
The New York Knicks signed a 10-day contract with him a week after his resignation and a multi-year contract on March 13. After a broken jaw on April 2, he missed the rest of the season after averaging 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17 games. Williams was officially released from the Knicks on July 16, 2018, after a summer league game. In return, he signed a two-year, non-guaranteed contract with the New Orleans Pelicans on July 25.
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Troy Williams Family, Mom
The little striker of the Pelicans was born into a family of tires. His father, Yhosef Ware, was largely absent in his life and as such he was raised by his mother, Patty Williams, and other members of her family, including his guardian (uncle) Marcellus Spencer “Boo” Williams Jr., Terrance (aunt) and his grandmother.
His mother seemed to be the only family member who didn’t play the game, although she is now a big fan of it because of her son. Uncle Boo was a star at Phoebus High School, played college basketball for Saint Joseph’s University. He runs the Boo Williams AAU program and the Boo Williams Nike Invitational in Hampton, Virginia. Terance played basketball at Penn State and also coached in Auburn, while another uncle who works at the Pentagon played football at West Point.
Height, Weight, Measurements
Troy, with a highlighted role in athletics, has an equally impressive physique. He is 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in ) tall and has a corresponding body mass of 99 kg (218 lbs). His other measurements include:
Standing Reach: 8′ 6”
Wingspan: 6′ 8”
Hand Width: 9.25″
Hand Length: 8.25
