BIO: Born in Camperdown, NSW, and a student at Cleveland Street High School, Claude Williams was a rare sporting talent who excelled across multiple disciplines. He first made waves in cricket, starring as both an opening batsman and bowler for Sydney Cricket Club in the AW Green Shield competition. His athletic promise soon caught the eye of the NSW Tennis Association, who invited him to join their elite development squad.

As he matured, Williams shifted his focus to rugby league, where he played 12 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs between 1973 and 1974. All the while, he maintained his deep passion for basketball—moonlighting as a guard for Eastern Suburbs in Sydney’s top-tier competition. His weekly schedule was intense: basketball training on Mondays and Fridays, games on Wednesdays, and league commitments consuming Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends.

Though selected to represent New South Wales at the national basketball championships in 1974 and 1975, his Rabbitohs contract prevented him from taking part. Once fully committed to basketball, Williams became a mainstay in the state team, representing NSW at the national titles in 1976, 1977, 1979, and 1981.

After officially switching codes, Williams made his mark in basketball, playing 101 games for the City of Sydney Astronauts and Supersonics—long before the NBL was formed—while also starring in the Australian Club Championships and National Titles. His versatility, leadership, and elite-level contributions across four major sports cement his legacy as one of Australia’s great multi-sport pioneers.

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.

Claude Williams played a key role for the City of Sydney Astronauts in the inaugural 1979 NBL season under coach Charlie Zammit. The Astronauts made history by competing in the first-ever NBL game, a 68–65 loss to the Glenelg Tigers at the Apollo Entertainment Centre. David Leslie (25 points) led the way, while Williams contributed a strong all-around performance with 8 points on 50% shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Ian Robilliard (8 points) also chipped in for Sydney, while Glenelg was led by Rick Hodges (16 points) and David Smyth (15 points).

After a rough 0–5 start to the season, City of Sydney finally broke through in a thrilling 81–80 win over Glenelg in the rematch. Williams stepped up again with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, supported by Peter Donnelly (14 points), Brad Dalton (12 points), and David Leslie (12 points). The Tigers were paced by Steve Sparrow (24 points) and Gerry Clarke (23 points).

Following that breakthrough win, the Astronauts caught fire with a six-game winning streak that featured victories over Brisbane, Canberra, and Wollongong. Williams remained a consistent force throughout the season, finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer behind Leslie with 14.7 points per game across 15 appearances.

Despite their mid-season surge, Sydney’s momentum faded late in the year. The Astronauts won just one of their final six contests and dropped their last three games to finish the season at 8–10, placing seventh overall in the NBL standings.

1980

1981

SYDNEY SUPERSONICS
1982

1983
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.

1984

1985

1986
Coming off a disappointing 1985 season, the Sydney Supersonics entered 1986 in full rebuild mode. Imports Wayne Kreklow, Jerry Steurer, along with local players like Brett Flanigan, Graham Davis, Tony Wilkerson all departed. To fill the void, Sydney recruited powerful American big man Derrick Polk, versatile forward Audie Matthews (via Brisbane), and young Australian Andrew Svaldenis (via Bankstown).

Last season’s leading scorer for the Supersonics, Kendal “Tiny” Pinder returned for a second NBL season after leading the league in scoring and earning All-NBL First Team honours the previous year. Veterans Wayne Burden, Curt Forrester, Scott Fenton, Darren Shaw, Zoran Zunic, Gavin Kelly, and Nick Stenstrom also returned to provide stability.

Coaching responsibilities shifted as well, with Owen Wells returning for a second stint as Supersonics coach, taking over the helm from Paul Coughter. Wells, a former NBL MVP with the Supersonics, was tasked with guiding a revamped squad back to contention.

Claude Williams was brought in late in the year as an injury replacement but saw minimal court time across four games and did not score. His brief return helped bolster depth during a heavy fixture stretch but was ultimately a short-lived stint.

The Supersonics recovered from a 2–8 start to finish 14–12 and reach the playoffs for the first time since 1983. Pinder (21.4 points, 16.0 rebounds) and Polk (21.9 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks) formed one of the league’s elite frontcourts,

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 Sydney Supersonics and the City of Sydney Astronauts. He averaged 9.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 101 NBL games.