AEK Athens have officially signed former No. 2 NBA Draft pick Derrick Williams to a 1+1 deal, bringing the veteran forward back to Greece after an NBA career that included 428 games and a 2017 Finals appearance with Cleveland.
AEK Athens have completed an unexpected addition, officially signing veteran forward Derrick Williams to a two-year agreement.
Position
SF, PF
Age
35
Height
203 cm
Weight
109 kg
Birth place
La Mirada, United States of America
The Greek club announced Monday that Williams has agreed to a 1+1 contract. The 35-year-old is already in Greece and returns to the country after previously playing for Panathinaikos during the 2022-23 season.
The move brings an experienced former NBA lottery pick back to European basketball after recent stops in Puerto Rico and South Korea.
Williams returns to Greece after Panathinaikos stint
Williams has extensive EuroLeague experience, having previously represented Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce, Valencia, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos.
Across 160 EuroLeague appearances, the 2.03-meter forward has averaged 11.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in just over 25 minutes per game.
His last EuroLeague season came with Panathinaikos in 2022-23 before he continued his career outside Europe’s top competition.
Derrick Williams was No. 2 pick in 2011 NBA Draft
Before establishing himself in Europe, Williams arrived in the NBA with significant expectations.
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, directly after the Cleveland Cavaliers took Kyrie Irving first overall.
Williams entered the league following two seasons at Arizona, where he averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds during his sophomore year.
Williams spent his first two-plus NBA seasons with Minnesota before being traded to the Sacramento Kings in November 2013.
He later played for the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, while also making two appearances for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
Credit USA Today – Scanpix
His most productive NBA season came in 2012-13 with Minnesota, when he averaged 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while appearing in 78 games.
Williams also reached the NBA Finals with Cleveland in 2017. He appeared in eight playoff games during the Cavaliers’ run, although his role was limited as Cleveland eventually lost to the Golden State Warriors.
Overall, Williams played 428 NBA regular-season games, making 112 starts and averaging 8.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 20.7 minutes. He shot 43.4% from the field during his NBA career.
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