Ziaire Williams

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.

Ziaire Williams
Williams with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022
No. 8 – Memphis Grizzlies
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-09-12) September 12, 2001
Lancaster, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeStanford (2020–2021)
NBA draft2021: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Pelicans
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentMemphis Grizzlies
2023→Memphis Hustle
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place2019 GreeceTeam

Early life

Williams was born in Lancaster, California as the only child of Ziaire Williams and Marquita Fields-Williams.[1] He began playing basketball at age five and was training under the guidance of his father by age eight.[2]

High school career

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]

Recruiting

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]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 6  247Sports: 5  ESPN: 8
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Stanford 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Stanford Cardinal Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

College career

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]

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2021–present)

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]

National team career

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]

Career statistics
Legend
  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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Memphis 623121.7.450.314.7822.11.0.6.28.1
2022–23 Memphis 37415.2.429.258.7732.1.9.4.25.7
Career 993519.3.443.298.7792.11.0.5.27.2

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Memphis 10116.8.442.306.9231.6.5.5.06.9
2023 Memphis 403.0.286.333–.5.5.0.01.3
Career 14112.8.424.308.9231.3.5.4.05.3

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Stanford 201427.9.374.291.7964.62.2.9.610.7

Personal life

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]

References
  1. "Ziaire Williams". USA Basketball. July 22, 2019. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  2. Abeytia, R. J. (February 5, 2019). "Stanford '20 Offer Ziaire Williams Keeps Perspective". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. Ugland, Devin (August 4, 2017). "Recruiting Report: Ziaire Williams (2020)". Prep Hoops. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. Bossi, Eric (June 1, 2018). "Skilled wing Ziaire Williams making waves in 2020". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  5. Fattal, Tarek (January 14, 2019). "Daily News Boys Athlete of the Week: Ziaire Williams, Notre Dame". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  6. Sondheimer, Eric (February 27, 2019). "Johnny Juzang is Mission League MVP". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  7. "2018-19 ALL-USA California Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 16, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  8. Fattal, Tarek (July 18, 2019). "Ziaire Williams transferring from Notre Dame to Sierra Canyon". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  9. Rollins, Khadrice (July 20, 2019). "Five-Star Recruit BJ Boston Joining Ziaire Williams, Bronny at Sierra Canyon". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  10. Newman, Logan (October 30, 2019). "Five-star SF Ziaire Williams won't be eligible for Sierra Canyon until Dec. 29". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  11. Fattal, Tarek (December 30, 2019). "Evan Mobley, Rancho Christian spoil Ziaire Williams' debut, give Sierra Canyon its first loss". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  12. Kasabian, Paul (March 11, 2020). "Ziaire Williams Caps Comeback to Lead Bronny, Zaire, Sierra Canyon over Etiwanda". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  13. Sondheimer, Eric (March 28, 2020). "The Times' boys' basketball player of the year: Ziaire Williams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  14. Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2019). "McDonald's All American Game Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Concerns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  15. Borzello, Jeff (April 12, 2020). "Forward Ziaire Williams, ranked No. 7 in ESPN 100, commits to Stanford". ESPN. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  16. Gershon, Josh (April 12, 2020). "Evaluating No. 5 Stanford commit Ziaire Williams". 247Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  17. "Williams boosts Stanford; sets up showdown with Tar Heels". ESPN. Associated Press. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  18. "Williams' Triple Double Leads Cardinal Rout of Washington". Stanford Athletics. Associated Press. January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  19. Polacek, Scott (March 31, 2021). "Stanford's Ziaire Williams Declares for 2021 NBA Draft; Averaged 10.7 PPG". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  20. "draft rights to Ziaire Williams from New Orleans Pelicans". NBA.com. July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  21. "Grizzlies' Ziaire Williams: Enters protocols, out indefinitely". Cbssports.com. December 19, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  22. "Former Cardinal Ziaire Williams scores 14 in first NBA start". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  23. "Ziaire Williams 2021-22 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  24. "Postgame Report: Williams scores career-high in Grizzlies' win over Knicks with Engineer, Boy Tahi, Tata Edoy and Roperto". NBA.com.
  25. "Ziaire Williams ties personal high score record". NBA.com.
  26. "TIMBERWOLVES STUN GRIZZLIES, GRAB GAME 1 WITH 130-117 WIN". NBA.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  27. "Injury Update Given On Grizzlies' Ziaire Williams". Sports Illustrated. October 26, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  28. "MORANT'S TRIPLE-DOUBLE LEADS GRIZZLIES PAST THUNDER 123-102". NBA.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  29. "Ziaire Williams (USA)'s profile - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup". FIBA. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
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