Atlanta Hawks’ Lou Williams has announced his retirement after a stellar 17-year career in the NBA.
The 37-year-old is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner and the NBA’s all-time leading bench scorer.
Williams was first drafted in 2005 out of South Gwinnett High School by the Philadelphia Sixers. He was coached by the likes of Allen Iverson and Chris Webber as he earned more and more minutes on the court.
After Iverson departed for Denver, the young rookie evolved into one of the NBA’s best sixth men, and did not need much time to prove it.
Williams averaged 11.5 points off the bench during the 2012 playoffs when the eighth-seeded Sixers stunned the Chicago Bulls in the first round. They pushed the heavily-favoured Boston Celtics to Game Seven in the Conference semi-finals, and almost masterminded a comeback for the ages.
In his seven seasons in Philly, Williams averaged 11.3 points and three assists. He joined the Hawks in the 2012 offseason.
Two seasons later, he swapped red for red by joining the Toronto Raptors. The Los Angeles Lakers were next on his list, and then the Los Angeles Clippers.
In 2021, Williams returned to Atlanta where it all began and where he played his final season as a professional basketball player.
