Ian Davies
July 23, 2020
Claude Williams
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 1/01/52
- Place of Birth: Camperdown (NSW)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc:
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 24/02/79
- AGE AT DEBUT: 27
- LAST NBL GAME: 21/09/86
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 34
- NBL History: City of Sydney 1979 | Sydney 1982-86
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: A pioneer of his time, Claude Williams was born in Camperdown (NSW) and attended Cleveland Street High School. He began his incredible sporting resume as a cricketer, opening both the bowling and the batting for the Sydney Cricket Club in the AW Green Shield competition, before being scouted by the NSW Tennis Association to join their elite program. As he got older, he moved his attention to Rugby League where he played 12 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL between 1973-74, juggling his league commitments with his love of basketball. Throughout his short career at the Rabbitohs he had moonlighted as a guard with Eastern Suburbs in Sydney’s premier basketball competition. Monday and Friday basketball training bookended Wednesday night games, while Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends were dedicated to rugby league.
In basketball, he played on multiple occasions in the National Titles and Australian Club Championships. In 1974 and 1975 Williams was selected for the New South Wales basketball team in the Nationals, but his contract with South Sydney prevented him from participating. He would later represent NSW in state basketball competition during the 1976, 1977, 1979, and 1981 nationals tournaments.
FAMILY: The son of country musician Claude “Candy” Williams, and first cousin to Harry Williams, the first Indigenous soccer player to represent the Socceroos at a World Cup, in 1974.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Claude Williams made his NBL debut with the City of Sydney Astronauts at 27 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game.
Whilst playing for the City of Sydney Astronauts, Williams also worked a day job as a clerk with the council.
By 1983, the Astronauts became the Sydney SuperSonics, and the legendary American import Owen Wells signed on as player-coach. Wells fired a rocket up Australian basketball, and with Williams in the team, lead the SuperSonics to a record-breaking 16-game winning streak.
In 2021, the Sydney Kings have announced the inaugural Claude Williams Most Valuable Player award which from that year forward, would be presented to the best player on court during the Kings annual Indigenous Round clash.
The Claude Williams MVP is a initiative that honours and pays tribute the incredible sporting achievements of one of the NBL’s first Indigenous players and former Kings Head Coach, Claude Williams.
Claude Williams played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the City of Sydney Astronauts and the Sydney Supersonics. He averaged 9.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 101 NBL games.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 34 | Sydney | 15-12 (4) | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 1985 | 33 | Sydney | 9-17 (11) | 16 | 0.0 | 60 | 26 | 22 | 10 | 16 | 22 | 0 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 56 | 41% | 1 | 9 | 11% | 13 | 19 | 68% | 46% | 42% | |
| 1984 | 32 | Sydney | 3-21 (17) | 17 | 0.0 | 327 | 63 | 50 | 19 | 44 | 50 | 2 | 69 | 37 | 129 | 303 | 43% | 9 | 23 | 39% | 60 | 80 | 75% | 48% | 44% | |
| 1983 | 31 | Sydney | 19-3 (1) | 25 | 0.0 | 123 | 31 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 29 | 52 | 111 | 47% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 19 | 30 | 63% | 49% | 47% | 15 |
| 1982 | 30 | Sydney | 7-19 (12) | 24 | 0.0 | 269 | 53 | 37 | 20 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 50 | 109 | 236 | 46% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 51 | 74 | 69% | 50% | 46% | |
| 1979 | 27 | City of Sydney | 8-10 (7) | 15 | 0 | 220 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 93 | 186 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 34 | 47 | 72% | 53% | 50% | 26 | Totals | 101 | 0 | 999 | 173 | 126 | 63 | 110 | 82 | 2 | 149 | 170 | 406 | 892 | 45.5% | 10 | 32 | 31.3% | 177 | 250 | 70.8% | 50% | 46% | 39 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 34 | Sydney | 15-12 (4) | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 1985 | 33 | Sydney | 9-17 (11) | 16 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 41% | 0.1 | 0.6 | 11% | 0.8 | 1.2 | 68% | 46% | 42% | |
| 1984 | 32 | Sydney | 3-21 (17) | 17 | 0.0 | 19.2 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 0.1 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 7.6 | 17.8 | 43% | 0.5 | 1.4 | 39% | 3.5 | 4.7 | 75% | 48% | 44% | |
| 1983 | 31 | Sydney | 19-3 (1) | 25 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 47% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.8 | 1.2 | 63% | 49% | 47% | 15 |
| 1982 | 30 | Sydney | 7-19 (12) | 24 | 0.0 | 11.2 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 9.8 | 46% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 2.1 | 3.1 | 69% | 49.6% | 46% | |
| 1979 | 27 | City of Sydney | 8-10 (7) | 15 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 6.2 | 12.4 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 2.3 | 3.1 | 72% | 52.8% | 50% | 26 | Total | 101 | 0.0 | 9.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 8.8 | 45.5% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 31.3% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 70.8% | 50% | 46% | 39 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 39 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
|---|
AWARDS
- Inductee of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports Hall of Fame (1994)
- Inaugural Claude Williams Most Valuable Player award announced by the Sydney Kings, presented to the best player during the annual Indigenous Round (2021)
COACHING HISTORY
William was appointed assistant coach of the Supersonics for the 1986–87 season, and then head coach of the Sydney Kings during their inaugural season in 1988. he decision from King's owener Mike Wrubleski saw Williams become the first, and only Aboriginal basketball Head Coach in the NBL to date.
By season’s end Williams had accepted an offer from Newcastle Falcons. Wrublewski was notorious for his hands-on, passionate approach, but Williams was continually frustrated by the intrusion of board members in the coaching of the team. In 1989/90, he served as assistant coach of the Newcastle Falcons.
Williams is beleived to be the second Aboriginal coach in any elite sport (Arthur Beetson coached Easts in rugby league in the 1970s).
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
In 2010, Williams was presenting the weekly radio program The Sweet Science on Koori Radio. The program was focused on history and issues related to Indigenous boxing, and won a Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Award for Contribution to Indigenous Broadcasting.In 2015 he was working in the after-school program at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern.
He continues to volunteer his time as a basketball coach through his work with Brian Kerle with the Young Indigenous Basketball Academy (YIBA) in Mount Gravatt.
Related
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