Natalie Williams

Last updated
Natalie Williams
Las Vegas Aces
PositionGeneral Manager
Personal information
BornNovember 30, 1970 (1970-11-30) (age 53)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school Taylorsville (Taylorsville, Utah)
College UCLA (1990–1994)
WNBA draft 1999: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Utah Starzz
Playing career1996–2005
Career history
1996–1998 Portland Power
1999–2002 Utah Starzz
2003–2005 Indiana Fever
Career highlights and awards
Career WNBA statistics
Points 2,894 (13.1 ppg)
Rebounds 1,832 (8.3 rpg)
Assists 308 (1.4 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Women's basketball
Olympic rings.svg
Representing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2000 Sydney Team competition
World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1998 Germany Team competition
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2002 China Team competition
Jones Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1996 Team competition

Natalie Jean Williams (born November 30, 1970) is an American basketball executive and former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). [1] Williams was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. She was also an accomplished volleyball player at UCLA. Since 2022, Williams has served as the General Manager of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces

Contents

Early years

Williams is the daughter of Nate Williams, a former basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings, New Orleans Jazz and the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association during an eight-year career.

Although she was born in Southern California, she went to high school at Taylorsville High School in Utah.

She also has two half brothers and one half sister. Both of her brothers played basketball but her sister chose to focus her athletic abilities on tennis.

College years

She attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and graduated there in 1994. She was a four-year letter-winner in both basketball and volleyball, and is the first woman to earn All-America honors in both basketball and volleyball in the same year. She also led UCLA to NCAA volleyball titles in 1990 and 1991. She won the Honda-Broderick Award (now the Honda Sports Award) as the nation's best female collegiate volleyball player in both 1992 and 1993. [2]

UCLA statistics

Source [3]

Legend
  GPGames 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
YearTeamGPPointsFG%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1993-94UCLA2456157.0%51.7%13.11.33.01.023.4
1992-93UCLA2348847.3%74.8%13.51.22.51.421.2
1991-92UCLA2349556.0%63.1%13.81.32.81.321.5
1990-91UCLA1926950.0%67.0%10.30.71.60.614.2
CareerUCLA89181352.8%63.2%12.81.12.51.120.4

ABL career

Natalie Williams played three seasons for the Portland Power in the American Basketball League (ABL). She was traded to the Long Beach Stingrays in April 1998, but when the team folded, she was reassigned to the Power. She was a two-time All-ABL first team selection, the 1998 ABL M.V.P., finished her first season as the league's top rebounder, averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, and on January 9, 1998, she grabbed a league record 22 rebounds.

WNBA career

After the ABL folded, she was selected by her hometown team, the Utah Starzz in the first round (third pick overall) of the 1999 WNBA draft on May 4, 1999.

She played with the Starzz from 1999 to 2002. However, just a few weeks prior to the start of the 2003 season, she was traded to the Indiana Fever in a multi-player deal on May 1, 2003.

Prior to the start of the 2005 season, Williams announced that she would retire after the season ended, saying that she will concentrate on raising her adopted twins, as well as serving as an assistant coach for Skyline' high school Girls basketball team in Salt Lake City, Utah, and launching a new career in the real estate business. She is remembered by fans as one of the best rebounding power forward in the early history of the WNBA.

USA Basketball

Williams was invited to be a member of the Jones Cup team representing the US in 1996. She helped the team to a 9–0 record, and the gold medal in the event. Williams averaged 9.1 points per game. She also recorded 7.0 rebounds per game, highest on the team. [4]

Williams was named to the USA national team in 1998. The national team traveled to Berlin, Germany in July and August 1998 for the FIBA World Championships. The USA team won a close opening game against Japan 95–89, then won their next six games easily. In the semifinal game against Brazil, the USA team was behind as much as ten points in the first half, but the USA went on to win 93–79. The gold medal game was a rematch against Russia. In the first game, the USA team dominated almost from the beginning, but in the rematch, the team from Russia took the early lead and led much of the way. With under two minutes remaining, the USA was down by two points but the USA responded, then held on to win the gold medal 71–65. Williams averaged 12.3 points per game, second highest on the team, and averaged 9.6 rebounds per game, highest on the team. [5]

Williams won an Olympic Gold Medal as a member of the U.S. women's basketball team during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

In 2002, Williams was named to the national team which competed in the World Championships in Zhangjiagang, Changzhou and Nanjing, China. The team was coached by Van Chancellor. The USA team won all nine games, including a close title game against Russia, which was a one-point game late in the game. Williams averaged 5.9 points per game. [6]

Outside basketball

In 2002, she opened a restaurant called Natalie's in Salt Lake City, Utah. She carried the Olympic Torch in the Salt Lake City area prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics. She also was named to the United States 2002 World Championship Games team.

She considers Cheryl Miller as her basketball role model.

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold Career best°League leader

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
1999 Utah 282634.1.519.000.7549.20.91.40.82.418.0
2000 Utah 292935.8.490.600.79811.61.81.20.62.718.7
2001 Utah 313134.3.490.000.7299.91.81.30.32.314.2
2002 Utah 313132.5.435.417.7428.21.21.20.52.311.3
2003 Indiana 343431.0.485.000.7097.51.41.30.62.113.4
2004 Indiana 343428.1.454.000.6976.91.81.20.71.910.3
2005 Indiana 343423.6.415.000.6725.50.91.00.41.77.4
Career7 years, 2 teams22121931.1.474.286.7418.31.41.20.62.113.1

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGTOPPG
2001 Utah 2228.5.500.8338.00.01.50.52.510.5
2002 Utah 5537.2.532.250.6799.21.41.01.41.614.0
2005 Indiana 4433.5.425.000.8137.51.51.30.50.311.8
Career3 years, 2 teams111134.3.485.200.7408.41.21.20.91.312.5

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Leslie</span> American basketball player (born 1972)

Lisa Deshaun Leslie is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Bally Sports Florida. In 2002, Leslie made history as the first player to dunk during a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game. Leslie was ranked 5th on ESPN.com's 2021 list of the WNBA's greatest players of all time.

Charlotte Smith is a retired American professional women's basketball player for the Charlotte Sting, Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever in the WNBA, and for the Colorado Xplosion and San Jose Lasers in the ABL. She is currently the women's basketball head coach at Elon University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yolanda Griffith</span> Basketball player

Yolanda Evette Griffith is an American professional basketball hall of fame player who played in both the ABL and WNBA. A former WNBA MVP, she is considered one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in the history of Women's Basketball. She last played in the WNBA as a member of the Indiana Fever. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the top 15 players in WNBA history. She is sometimes called by her nicknames: "Yo" and "Yo-Yo". Since retiring from the professional ranks, Griffith was as assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is currently an assistant coach with the Boston College Eagles. Griffith was inducted into the 2014 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's class on her first year of eligibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elena Baranova</span> Russian basketball player

Elena Viktorovna Baranova is a Russian former professional basketball player. She is a former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player, where she became the first player from Europe in 1997 WNBA inaugural season, the first All-Star from Russia in 2001 and played for the New York Liberty until the 2005 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kara Wolters</span> American basketball player (born 1975)

Kara Elizabeth Wolters is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player and a current sports broadcaster. Standing at six feet seven inches (2.01 m) and nicknamed "Big Girl," she is the tallest player in University of Connecticut women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA. During her playing career, she was an NCAA national champion (1995), FIBA world champion (1998), WNBA champion (1999), and Olympic champion (2000) becoming one of 11 women with those accolades. She also won AP College Player of the Year in 1997

Tari L. Phillips is an American former professional women's basketball player. Her cousin Tayyiba Haneef-Park played for USA Volleyball.

Olympia Scott, formerly known under her married name of Olympia Scott-Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player in the WNBA, and a former college coach. She is also co-founder of an online parenting education company called "Super Parenting LLC" and of a coaching company called "A Wonderful Life! Coaching".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruthie Bolton</span> American womens basketball player

Alice Ruth Bolton, known as Ruthie Bolton, is an American former professional women's basketball player. Born in Lucedale, Mississippi, she played at the collegiate, Olympic and professional levels of women's basketball. Bolton played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 through 2004 with the Sacramento Monarchs. She played collegiately at Auburn University, teaming with her older sister, Mae Ola Bolton. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Bolton has also served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves as a transportation officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeLisha Milton-Jones</span> American basketball player

DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones is an American retired professional basketball player and head coach of Old Dominion. Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. She was a first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year her senior season.

Adrienne Goodson is an American former basketball player, a 6-foot forward noted for her exceptional rebounding ability, especially on the offensive glass. Her professional career in Brazil, the ABL, and the WNBA spanned 14 years.

Dena Head is an American retired women's basketball player. She is best remembered as the first player drafted in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Palmer</span> American basketball player and coach

Wendy Palmer is a former professional basketball player in the WNBA, and former head coach of the UNCG women's basketball team. Her primary position was forward.

Debbie Black is an American women's basketball former player and current coach. During her professional career, Black played for the Women's National Basketball League in Australia, the American Basketball League and the Women's National Basketball Association. She retired from the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA in 2005. Black was an assistant coach for the Ohio State University before being named the head coach of the Eastern Illinois University Women's Basketball team on May 16, 2013, in which position she continued until 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Power (basketball)</span> American basketball team

The Portland Power was a women's professional basketball team in the American Basketball League (ABL) based in Portland, Oregon. The Power began play in 1996, and disbanded when the ABL folded at the end of 1998. The Power hosted home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which had a capacity of 10,934.

Cynthia Louise "Cindy" Brown is a retired American women's basketball player, at the college, Olympic and professional levels. Brown was a member of the USA Basketball team which went on to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1987, and the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning team for the US at the 1985 World University Games, and the 1986 World Championship team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Jones-Young</span>

Carolyn Jones-Young is an American former professional women's basketball player. A 5'9" guard, she played for the New England Blizzard of the American Basketball League (1996–1998), and also played for the Portland Fire of the Women's National Basketball Association. She holds several ABL career records.

Pamela Denise McGee is an American former professional women's basketball player, Olympic gold medalist, and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. She is the mother of NBA player JaVale McGee and WNBL player Imani McGee-Stafford.

Bridgette C. Gordon is the head women's basketball coach of Florida A&M University, and a retired player. She was a member of the United States women's national basketball team, that claimed the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Tammi Reiss is an American actress and former professional basketball player. She is currently the coach for the University of Rhode Island. Reiss is a native of New York state. Reiss graduated from the University of Virginia in 1992 with a major in sports management. As a professional, she was chosen in the first round of the first-ever WNBA draft and played for two years with the Utah Starzz. She is currently the head coach of the University of Rhode Island Lady Rams basketball team.

Kimberly Williams is a former professional basketball player who played two seasons for the Utah Starzz of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

References

  1. WNBA Player Profile Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine , WNBA.com
  2. "Volleyball". CWSA. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  3. "UCLA Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  4. "1996 Women's R. William Jones Cup". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. "Thirteenth World Championship For Women -- 1998". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  6. "Fourteenth World Championship For Women -- 2002". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.