Author: Monojit Mandal
NBA veteran Lou Williams announced his retirement from professional basketball in a moving YouTube video that touched the hearts of basketball fans around the world. The 36-year-old point guard, known for his incredible scoring talent, said goodbye to the sport that defined his life for more than two decades.
Williams, who spent his entire career at six different clubs, left a legacy as one of the most reliable and consistently active strikers on the bench. He started just 122 of the 1,123 games of his career, proving his worth as a bench player. In fact, 85.9% of his scoring, totaling 13,396 of 15,593 points, came from his bench appearances, setting a new NBA record for bench scoring. Jamal Crawford, the closest competitor, trails by 2,117 points.
The excellent point guard has won the prestigious NBA Sixth Man of the Year award three times, equaling Jamal-Crawford’s record. Williams won the award in 2015, 2018 and 2019, cementing his status as one of the most useful and influential players on the bench.
Williams was selected by the Philadelphia-76ers in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft and spent seven seasons with the organization before embarking on a career that would take him to various places in the league. He played with the Atlanta-Hawks (2012-14; 2021-22), the Toronto-Raptors (2014-15), the Los-Angeles-Lakers (2015-17), the Houston-Rockets (2017) and the Los-Angeles-Clippers (2017-21).
Unfortunately, Williams didn’t play in the NBA last season, and his last appearance in a game was in April 2022. His contribution to the game, however, will not be forgotten. Throughout his career, Williams averaged 13.9 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game, further solidifying his reputation as a complete and excellent player.
As the basketball community bids farewell to this famous figure, Lou Williams can reflect on his incredible career, knowing that he left an unshakeable impression on the sport and in the hearts of fans around the world.