Kim Williams (basketball)

Kimberly Williams (born October 14, 1974) is a former professional basketball player who played two seasons for the Utah Starzz of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Kim Williams
Personal information
Born (1974-10-14) October 14, 1974
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Listed weight136 lb (62 kg)
Career information
High schoolJohn Marshall (Chicago, Illinois)
College
WNBA draft1997 / Round: 4 / Pick: 28th overall
Selected by the Utah Starzz
Playing career1997–2014
PositionGuard
Career history
1997–1998Utah Starzz
1998–1999Sporting
1999–2000Holon
2000–2001Fiskobirlik
2004–2005Chicago Blaze
2004–2006Erdemirspor
2006–2007Cukierki Odra Brzeg
2007–2008Megas Alexandros
2008–2009Paghiakos
2009–2011Dnipro
2012–2014Dynamo Kyiv
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and college career

Born and raised in South Side, Chicago, Williams graduated from Marshall High School in 1993 and was Illinois "Ms. Basketball" as a senior.[1][2]

She helped guide the Westark Community College (now University of Arkansas-Fort Smith) to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Women's Basketball Championship. The team were national runner-us in 1994 and won the national championship in 1995, going 67–2 cumulatively in Williams' two seasons.[3] She was the first women's basketball player from Arkansas-Fort Smith to be drafted in the WNBA.[3]

Williams transferred to DePaul University, where she played from 1995 to 1997. As a senior at DePaul in 1996–97, Williams was Conference USA Player of the Year after scoring 25.1 points per game, second highest nationally, and leading C-USA in assists (5.6 apg) and steals (4.52 spg).[4]

Professional career

Drafted in the fourth round (28th overall) by the Utah Starzz in the 1997 WNBA draft, Williams began her professional career in the WNBA with the Starzz. In 58 games (20 starts) in two years, Williams averaged 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.[4]

The Minnesota Lynx selected Williams third overall in the 1999 WNBA expansion draft, but Williams never played for the Lynx.[4][5] Following the 1998 WNBA season, Williams played overseas, beginning with Sporting in Greece from 1998 to 1999, followed by Holon in Israel from 1999 to 2000 and Fiskobirlik in Turkey from 2000 to 2001.[6]

In 2004, Williams returned to the United States with the Chicago Blaze of the National Women's Basketball League, playing two seasons.[6][7] Williams played in Europe and Israel from 2004 to 2014, most recently with Dynamo Kyiv from 2012 to 2014.[6] Williams left Ukraine as military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine began.[8]

Williams signed with the Chicago Lady Steam of the Women's American Basketball Association in 2014.[6] She returned to DePaul University later that year to finish her bachelor's degree.[8]

Honors and awards

College
  • 2x first team NJCAA All-American
  • MVP of NCJAA national tournament as a sophomore
  • Conference USA Player of the Year
  • Third team Associated Press All-American
  • Kodak/WBCA All-District honors
  • First team All-Conference USA honors
  • Second team All-Conference USA honors.[9]
  • University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Athletic Hall of Fame
  • Lions Athletic Hall of Fame[10]

References
  1. DeSimone, Bonnie (June 20, 1997). "Ex-blue Demon's Purple Jersey Fits Her Fine In Utah". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  2. Deardorff, Julie (January 3, 2015). "Ms. Basketball of Illinois 1993: Marshall's Kim Williams". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  3. "Hall of Fame: Kim Williams". University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  4. "Kim Williams Player File". WNBA. Archived from the original on April 30, 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  5. "Kim Williams WNBA Stats - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
  6. http://basketball.eurobasket.com/PlayerPrintProfilePdf.asp?PlayerID=81666
  7. "National Women's Basketball League - League". 4 February 2005. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. "Williams Goes From Ukraine to the Hall of Fame". DePaul University. February 24, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  9. "Hall of Fame - University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Athletics". uafortsmithlions.com.
  10. "Five named to UAFS Athletic Hall of Fame - Talk Business & Politics". 7 February 2011.
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