No. 8–Memphis Grizzlies | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Small forward / power forward | ||||||||||||||
League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born | Lancaster, California, U.S. | September 12, 2001||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school |
| ||||||||||||||
College | Stanford (2020–2021) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2021: 1st round, 10th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
2021–present | Memphis Grizzlies | ||||||||||||||
2023 | →Memphis Hustle | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
|
Ziaire Williams (born September 12, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal.
Williams was born in Lancaster, California as the only child of Ziaire Williams and Marquita Fields-Williams on September 12, 2001. [1] He began playing basketball at age five and was training under the guidance of his father by age eight. [2]
For his first three years of high school, Williams attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. In his freshman season, he averaged 13.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. [3] Williams missed much of his sophomore season with an injury but saw success in the summer with his club team BTI Select. [4] On January 14, 2019, as a junior, he was named Los Angeles Daily News boys athlete of the week following two consecutive games with at least 34 points. [5] In his junior season, Williams averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists per game. [1] He earned All-Mission League first team and USA Today All-USA California second team honors. [6] [7]
On July 18, 2019, Williams transferred to Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Los Angeles for his senior year. He joined the team with fellow five-star recruit BJ Boston, as well as Bronny James and Zaire Wade, the respective sons of basketball players LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. [8] [9] Williams was not eligible to play until December 29, due to CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) transfer rules, and missed more than 10 games. [10] In his season debut, he scored 28 points in an 85–81 overtime loss to Rancho Christian School. [11] On March 11, 2020, Williams scored 17 points and made a buzzer-beater in a 63–61 comeback win over Etiwanda High School. [12] As a senior, he averaged 15 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, helping Sierra Canyon win the CIF-SS Open Division title. He was named player of the year by the Los Angeles Times . [13] Williams was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [14]
Williams was a consensus five-star recruit and the number one small forward in the 2020 recruiting class. On April 12, 2020, he announced his commitment to Stanford over Arizona, USC, North Carolina and UCLA. Williams became Stanford's highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era and the program's first five-star recruit since Reid Travis in 2014. [15] [16]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ziaire Williams SF | Lancaster, CA | Sierra Canyon (CA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 12, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 6 247Sports: 5 ESPN: 8 | ||||||
Sources:
|
In his collegiate debut for Stanford on November 30, 2020, Williams scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in an 82–64 win against Alabama. [17] On January 7, 2021, he recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, the first triple-double by a Stanford player since 2007, in a 91–75 victory over Washington. [18] As a freshman, Williams averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 37.4 percent from the field. On March 31, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. [19]
On July 29, 2021, Williams was selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. [20] After missing 14 consecutive games due to an ankle injury and a stint in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, [21] Williams got his first career start on January 6, 2022, recording 14 points and two steals in a 118–88 win over the Pistons. [22] [23] On February 2, Williams set a career-high with 21 points in a 120–108 win over the New York Knicks. [24] He then tied that record on February 24, in a 114–119 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. [25] During the first round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies faced the Timberwolves. Williams made his playoff debut on April 16, scoring four points in a 117–130 Game 1 loss. [26] The Grizzlies ended up winning the series in six games, but were eliminated during the second round by the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Williams missed the first 24 games of the 2022–23 season with a right knee injury. [27] He made his season debut on December 7, recording four points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 123–102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. [28]
Williams played for the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece. In seven games, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.2 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal. [29]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | Memphis | 62 | 31 | 21.7 | .450 | .314 | .782 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .6 | .2 | 8.1 |
2022–23 | Memphis | 37 | 4 | 15.2 | .429 | .258 | .773 | 2.1 | .9 | .4 | .2 | 5.7 |
2023–24 | Memphis | 51 | 15 | 20.4 | .397 | .307 | .827 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | 8.2 |
Career | 150 | 50 | 19.6 | .426 | .301 | .803 | 2.6 | 1.2 | .6 | .2 | 7.5 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Memphis | 10 | 1 | 16.8 | .442 | .306 | .923 | 1.6 | .5 | .5 | .0 | 6.9 |
2023 | Memphis | 4 | 0 | 3.0 | .286 | .333 | – | .5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
Career | 14 | 1 | 12.8 | .424 | .308 | .923 | 1.3 | .5 | .4 | .0 | 5.3 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020–21 | Stanford | 20 | 14 | 27.9 | .374 | .291 | .796 | 4.6 | 2.2 | .9 | .6 | 10.7 |
Both of Williams' parents have served in the military: his mother, Marquita Fields-Williams, in the Army and Air Force, and his father, Ziaire Williams, in the Marine Corps. [1] His mother is a probation officer, and his father works for 7 Up in Sylmar, Los Angeles. [2]
Michael Alex Conley Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Conley spent 12 seasons with the Grizzlies and became the team's all-time leading scorer before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2019, then traded again to the Timberwolves in 2023.
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Patrick Beverley is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Originally from Chicago's West Side, Beverley played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent the first five years of his pro career overseas, playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. In January 2013, he joined the NBA, signing with the Houston Rockets.
Sierra Canyon School (SCS) is a private, coeducational university-preparatory day school located in Los Angeles, California. Sierra Canyon enrolls students in preschool through grade 12.
Andrew Christian Wiggins is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers after one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks.
OleksiiYuriyovychLen, commonly known as Alex Len, is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before being drafted, he played two seasons for the Maryland Terrapins as well as a season with Dnipro.
Marvin Bagley III is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was a 2018 Consensus All-American. He was selected with the second overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2018 NBA draft. At the end of the 2018–19 season Bagley was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. After spending three and a half seasons with the Kings, he was traded to the Pistons at the 2022 trade deadline.
Jaylen Joseph Hands is an American professional basketball player for Palencia of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a high school senior in 2017, he was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, and was ranked as a consensus five-star prospect and the No. 3 point guard in the country in the class of 2017 by all major scouting services, including ESPN and 247Sports. Hands earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in his sophomore year with UCLA in 2019. He was selected in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 56th pick before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He played a season in the NBA G League with Brooklyn's affiliate, the Long Island Nets before beginning his European career in 2021.
De'Anthony Melton, nicknamed "Mr. Do Something", is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans of the Pac-12 Conference, but did not play in the 2017–18 season due to the events relating to the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal.
LeBron Raymone "Bronny" James Jr. is an American college basketball player. A consensus four-star recruit, he was named a McDonald's All-American as a senior in high school in 2023. James is the eldest child of professional basketball player LeBron James. He played college basketball at USC.
Jonathan Anh Juzang is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He began his college basketball career playing one season with the Kentucky Wildcats before transferring and spending two seasons with the UCLA Bruins. A two-time all-conference selection in the Pac-12, Juzang earned third-team All-American honors as a junior in 2022. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-Tournament Team of the 2021 NCAA tournament, as the Bruins advanced to the Final Four.
Santiago Aldama Toledo is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Loyola Greyhounds. He was named most valuable player (MVP) of the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship.
Brandon ElliotBoston Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Cody Jorden Riley is an American professional basketball player for KK Rogaška of the Premier A Slovenian Basketball League. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.
Chet Thomas Holmgren is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 2nd overall in the 2022 NBA draft, he played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. A consensus five-star recruit and the number-one player in the 2021 class, he stands 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and plays the center and power forward positions.
Scotty Maurice Pippen Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association, on a two-way contract with the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He is the son of former NBA player and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and television personality Larsa Pippen.
Kenyon Lee "KJ" Martin Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The son of former NBA player Kenyon Martin, he grew up in southern California and played basketball while attending Chaminade College Prep and Sierra Canyon before going to IMG Academy for his postgraduate year. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 2020 NBA draft and in November 2020, the Kings traded Martin to the Houston Rockets, where he played for three season. During the 2023 off-season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Duane Eddy Washington Jr. is a German-American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. The son of former NBA player Duane Washington, he played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Amari Bailey is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. In high school he was selected as a McDonald's All-American and California Mr. Basketball. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, earning all-freshman honors in the Pac-12 Conference in his only season. He was selected by the Hornets in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft. Bailey made his NBA debut for the Hornets in November 2023.
Judea Skies "JuJu" Watkins is an American college basketball player for the USC Trojans of the Pac-12 Conference. She graduated from Sierra Canyon School in her hometown of Los Angeles, where she was ranked as the number one recruit in her class by ESPN and earned national high school player of the year honors. Watkins led the United States to gold medals at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 World Cup and the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship, being named most valuable player (MVP) of each tournament.