Damond L. Williams (born October 10, 1980) is an American professional basketball player in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia League. Williams, who is 6'6", is known for his versatility as a combo guard, effective at playing both point guard and shooting guard positions. He led his team through a perfect season of 42–0 during the Syrian Premier League and Syrian League Cup in the 2009 season. In 2009 Damond was voted the best shooting guard of the 20th Dubai International Basketball Tournament. Damond is also Founder of the Chicago Basketball Academy a global company that creates high-quality programs and services to provide alternative career opportunities for aspiring NCAA, NBA, and FIBA athletes.

Damond Williams
Williams with the Dakota Wizards
Personal information
Born (1980-10-10) October 10, 1980 (age 44)
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolHyde Park (Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeNew Mexico State (1998–1999)
McNeese State (2001–2003)
NBA draft2003: undrafted
Playing career2003–present
PositionGuard
Career history
2003–2004Tralee Tigers
2004Cedar Rapids River Raiders
2004Harlem Globetrotters
2005Soles de Mexicali
2005–2006Dakota Wizards
2006–2007Boca Juniors
2007Calor de Mexicali
2007Los Angeles D-Fenders
2007–2008Al-Jaish SC
2008Reales de La Vega
2008–2009Jalaa SC
2009–2010Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo
2010Titanes Del Distrito Nacional
2011Mineros de Cananea
2011Huracanes del Atlantico
2012Hoops Club
2013Mineros de Cananea
Career highlights and awards
  • Syrian League champion (2009)
  • Syrian League MVP (2008)
  • Copa Argentina de Básquetbol champion (2007)
  • CIBACOPA All-Star (2007)
  • Irish Superleague champion (2004)

Early life and youth

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Damond L. Williams was born on Chicago's southeast side. He attended the esteemed Hyde Park Career Academy where he was a constant honor role student-athlete. Damond earned All-City accolades in cross country, but excelled in basketball as he often won slam-dunk contests and proved to be a prolific scorer. He received a full-athletic scholarship to New Mexico State University in 1997 when he was 17.[1]

College career

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Damond L. Williams shooting contested jumper at McNeese State University Men's Basketball team

Damond earned great athletic notoriety having played for a number of NCAA Division 1 schools under a full athletic scholarship University of Memphis, and New Mexico State before finding a permanent role on the McNeese State University Men's Basketball team, where he was the Lake Charles Toyota 2003 McNeese State University MVP. In 50 games with the McNeese State Cowboys, Damond established himself as a standout student-athlete and earned a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences.[2] Heralded for his brilliant all-around game and explosive play style, Damond played a pivotal role in McNeese State's sharp rise to the top of the Southland Conference and the 2002 NCAA Tournament where he was named Chevrolet MVP of the 1st-round game against Mississippi State University.

Professional career

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Ireland

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Williams started his professional career in Ireland with the Tralee Tigers of the Premier League during the 2003–04 season, helping the team win the championship.

United States

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Williams played in the United States Basketball League for the Cedar Rapids River Raiders during the 2004–2005 season.[3] Williams later played in the Continental Basketball Association league, playing for the Dakota Wizards during the 2005–2006 seasons. Shortly after, Williams was drafted to play in Argentina and upon his return to the U.S., he was drafted into the NBA Development League to play for the Los Angeles D-Fenders. However, Williams instead choose to accept an offer to compete internationally for the top basketball league in Syria.[3] Williams also played in exhibition games for the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters in 2004 and 2007.

Latin America

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In 2007, Williams joined the Argentine LNB League team Boca Juniors (basketball), where he led his team to win Copa Argentina de Básquetbol Argentina Cup at the National Level, and Campeonato Sudamericano de Clubes at the International Level. Within the LNB, Williams would later play for multiple teams, including: Reales de La Vega, Titanes Del Distrito Nacional, Mineros de Cananea [4] and Huracanes del Atlantico.

West Asia

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In 2007, Williams joined the Syrian Basketball League, playing for 3 teams from 2007 – 2010: Al-Jaish SC (Damascus), Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo, and Jalaa SC (men's basketball). While playing in the Syrian Premier League, Williams won several titles in the Syrian League and in the Syrian League, Hoops Club and the Dubai International Basketball Tournament.[5]

 
Syrian Basketball League.

Professional career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Professional career

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Tralee Tigers 11 11 38 53.4 38.7 78.9 9.2 2.5 1.2 .7 19.5
2004–04 Cedar Rapids River Raiders 5 1 9 52.5 39.4 81.8 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.2 4.0
2005–05 Soles de Mexicali 7 7 37 56.8 39.7 77.3 7.0 5.4 1.3 1.7 28.4
2005–06 Dakota Wizards 34 5 24 54.9 18.8 60.9 3.5 1.1 1.1 .8 8.3
2006–07 Boca Juniors (basketball) 10 10 35 55.5 38.8 74.7 6.7 3.9 1.2 1.5 18.9
2007–07 Calor de Mexicali 12 12 37 53.6 41.2 77.3 7.9 3.2 2.3 1.4 32.1
2007–08 Al-Jaish SC (Damascus) 27 27 36 59.0 40.7 79.6 7.3 3.4 1.8 .9 28.6
2008–08 Reales de La Vega 8 8 35 56.2 41.4 79.7 6.7 2.7 1.4 1.3 24.7
2008–09 Jalaa SC (men's basketball) 32 32 27 58.3 42.5 76.2 5.8 4.9 1.9 1.1 17.6
2009–10 Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo 27 27 38 58.9 42.5 78.6 7.4 5.7 1.7 1.6 27.4
2010–10 Titanes Del Distrito Nacional 8 8 35 53.8 41.8 77.3 6.5 3.8 1.3 .8 24.8
2011–11 Mineros de Cananea 8 8 31 57.5 30.0 74.2 4.1 1.8 1.4 1.0 15.6
2012–12 Hoops Club 12 12 38 57.9 21.8 59.9 7.6 5.6 2.3 1.6 21.4
2013–13 Mineros de Cananea 10 10 29 64.4 20.0 81.0 2.8 4.8 2.6 0.8 16.3
Career 189 185

College career

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 McNeese State University 21 21 34 51.2 38.1 61.8 5.5 1.4 1.8 .7 11.4
2002–03 McNeese State University 29 27 35 46.7 29.9 54.2 6.3 2.4 1.7 1.3 10.7
Career 50 48

Awards and accomplishments

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Pro career

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College career

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References

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  1. ^ Illinois Connection Bails Out Henson At New Mexico St.
  2. ^ RICHARDS: March Sadness for these first-round losers
  3. ^ a b Wednesday's Sports Transactions
  4. ^ "Reviewing The Draft Picks". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  5. ^ Syrian Basketball (Men)