Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 4 — Sydney’s Three-Peat Response To Wollongong’s 2001 Title
December 8, 2025
Chris Williams
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 9/07/80
- Place of Birth: Birmingham, Alabama (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 98
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Virginia (1998–2002)
- NBL DEBUT: 11/10/02
- AGE AT DEBUT: 22
- LAST NBL GAME: 6/04/03
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 22
- NBL History: Sydney 2003
- Championships: 1
- Sydney (2003)
BIO: Chris Williams was born in Birmingham, Alabama (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Chris Williams made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 22 years of age. He scored 24 points in his first game.
Prior to playing in the EuroLeague, Williams played as a import for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s NBL. With the Kings, he was a leading scorer, he shot at a high percentage, and he was a top rated rebounder.
Williams arrived in Sydney a mere 22 years of age, and the Sydney Kings had signed him after playing just one year of college ball at Virginia. He debuted in the purple and gold against the Townsville Suns and top scored with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, crazy numbers for a 22-year-old in any league.
The jaw-dropping games didn’t stop there. Williams’ one season in the league included a 21 points, 18 rebound, 9 assist effort against Canberra, a 34 point, 15 rebound and 11 assist triple double against rivals West Sydney and a 35 point 12 rebound victory over the Perth Wildcats who they would later face off in the Grand Final.
Chris Williams did a lot of things that a lot of people didn’t think he could do. Despite playing mostly at small forward, he played all five positions during his one season in the NBL.
The 199 cm Williams finished among the top five in the league in points, rebounds, steals and blocks as well as being was one of the youngest imports ever to record a triple-double. By the time the season was over he had been named League MVP, Grand Final MVP and was a major factor in the Kings winning the NBL Championship for the first time in franchise history.
On October 10, 2013, Williams was named to the Sydney Kings’ 25th Anniversary Team.
Chris Williams played one season in the NBL. He averaged 23.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 38 NBL games.
CAREER RANKINGS:
– 22nd in rebounds per game.
– 30th in steals per game.
HIGHLIGHTS:
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 22 | Sydney | 22-8 (1) | 38 | 1,526.0 | 896 | 460 | 165 | 138 | 322 | 82 | 49 | 121 | 125 | 361 | 676 | 53% | 11 | 68 | 16% | 163 | 260 | 63% | 56% | 54% | 35 | Totals | 38 | 1526 | 896 | 460 | 165 | 138 | 322 | 82 | 49 | 121 | 125 | 361 | 676 | 53.4% | 11 | 68 | 16.2% | 163 | 260 | 62.7% | 57% | 54% | 35 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 22 | Sydney | 22-8 (1) | 38 | 40.2 | 23.6 | 12.1 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 8.5 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 9.5 | 17.8 | 53% | 0.3 | 1.8 | 16% | 4.3 | 6.8 | 63% | 56% | 54% | 35 | Total | 38 | 40.2 | 23.6 | 12.1 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 8.5 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 9.5 | 17.8 | 53.4% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 16.2% | 0.3 | 1.8 | 62.7% | 57% | 54% | 35 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 35 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Germany - Skyliners Frankfurt (2003–2005) | South Korea - Ulsan Mobis Phoebus (2005–2007, 2009–2010), Goyang Orions (2011–2012) | Turkey - Türk Telekom (2007–2008) | China - Qingdao Double Star (2008–2009, 2009–2010) | Philippines - San Miguel Beermen (2009) | Iran - Mahram Tehran (2010–2011), Foolad Mahan Isfahan (2012–2013)
Williams joined Skyliners Frankfurt for the 2003–04 German Basketball Bundesliga season, playing his first season in Germany, and he won the Germany BBL championship with Frankfurt, in 2004, alongside teammates including Pascal Roller and Tyrone Ellis.
Williams stayed with Frankfurt through 2004–05 and, during that EuroLeague season, Williams led the 2004/05 EuroLeague in steals, with 2.8 per game, while playing with the Frankfurt Skyliners.
During Frankfurt’s 2004–05 run, a club preview ahead of the German league playoffs listed Williams at 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and noted he was playing alongside captain Pascal Roller, with other rotation names around that group including Tyrone Ellis, Kavossy Franklin, Spyro Panteliadis, and Jukka Matinen, and his Frankfurt tenure also included individual recognition as German League Most Valuable Player (2005) and German League Finals MVP (2005).
From 2005 to 2007, he played in South Koreas KBL, with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus, and those seasons included KBL Season Best 5 (2006), KBL Foreign Player MVP (2006), and a KBL champion (2007).
Williams then moved to Turkey with Türk Telekom for 2007–2008, playing in the Turkish top division on a roster that included imports and key contributors such as Khalid El-Amin and Kris Lang during that season.
He also played with Qingdao DoubleStar in Chinas CBA, and he appeared there across 2008–2009 and again in 2009–2010, and in a game between Qingdao and Dongguan Leopards, on December 25, 2009, Williams produced the second ever Quadruple-double in CBA history, as he finished the game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assist, and 11 steals. Qingdao won the game 122–103, and his CBA time included EuroLeague steals leader (2005) and CBA steals leader (2010) as part of his season-by-season accolades.
In 2009, Williams had a short stint in the Philippines with the San Miguel Beermen, and league records for that conference listed him as an import who played two games during May 2009 before he returned to Asia later in the year.
Williams later returned to South Korea with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus for 2009–2010 and then played for Goyang Orions in 2011–2012, appearing on a KBL roster that included teammates such as Choi Jin-Soo and Daniel Sandrin during that season.
He also played with Mahram Tehran in Irans Basketball Super League in 2010–2011 before finishing his pro career in Iran with Foolad Mahan Isfahan in 2012–2013.
COLLEGE
Chris Williams played college basketball at the University of Virginia with the Virginia Cavaliers from 1998–2002, becoming a four-year starter and finishing his career with 1,812 points as the No. 8 scorer in program history, while also totaling 786 rebounds, 189 steals, and 97 blocked shots in a 70–49 team record during his time in Charlottesville.
As a freshman in 1998–99, Williams played in all 30 games and started 28, averaging 16.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field (188-of-367) and 73.2 percent at the line (93-of-127), and he added 55 assists, 45 steals, and 41 blocks while recording six double-doubles and scoring in double figures 27 times; he set a Virginia freshman single-game scoring record with 34 points vs Liberty on December 8 and earned ACC Rookie of the Year honours in 1999 along with Third Team All-ACC recognition in 1999 and ACC All-Freshman Team selection, including being the top vote-getter on the league’s All-Freshman team.
In 1999–2000, Williams started 30 of 31 games and led Virginia in scoring at 15.5 points per game, adding 6.1 rebounds and 60 assists while shooting 50.7 percent from the field (173-of-341) and 36.6 percent from three (34-of-93); he was named Second Team All-ACC in 2000, and he produced a notable double-double in a 90–74 win at North Carolina on February 20 with 16 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
During the 2000–01 season, Williams played 29 games with 25 starts, averaging 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor (147-of-292) and posting 421 points, 193 rebounds, 59 assists, 44 steals, and 20 blocks; he became Virginia’s 34th 1,000-point scorer when he hit a three-pointer vs Coastal Carolina on November 20, and he continued to rise on the school charts with 1,405 career points after three seasons while ranking ninth on Virginia’s career three-point list at that point with 102 made triples, before adding Third Team All-ACC honours again in 2001.
As a senior in 2001–02, Williams started all 29 games and averaged 14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field, and Virginia finished 17–12 overall with a 7–9 ACC record before falling to South Carolina 74–67 in the first round of the NIT; across his Virginia career he was also recognized as the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1999, Second Team All-ACC in 2000, and Third Team All-ACC in 1999 and 2001, matching the award history noted for his four-year run at Virginia.
AWARDS
- 1x time NBL Most Valuable Player (2003)
- 1x time NBL Finals MVP (2003)
- 1x All-NBL First Team- CBA steals leader (2010)
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KBL champion (2007)
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KBL Season Best 5 (2006)
-
KBL Foreign Player MVP (2006)
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German League Finals MVP (2005)
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German League Most Valuable Player (2005)
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EuroLeague steals leader (2005)
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Second-team All-ACC (2000)
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2× Third-team All-ACC (1999, 2001)
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ACC Rookie of the Year (1999)
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
Chris Williams passed away on March 15, 2017, due to blood clots in his heart.
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