J-Will says he’ll feel connected to Kings fans forever originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Jason Williams’ time in Sacramento might have been short, but it will be remember forever.
The Kings selected Williams with the No. 7 pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, and he couldn’t have had a better coach to start his NBA career. Rick Adelman, who will be entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame next year along with Chris Webber, let Williams be free and that turned into some wild highlight reels.
Williams brought a whole new flare to the game. Nicknamed “White Chocolate,” Williams was non-stop fun in a Kings jersey. That didn’t stop him from the main goal, though.
All Williams wanted to do was win in Sacramento.
“I related to those people well and I think that they related to me,” Williams said Friday on “The Jason Ross & Doug Christie Show” when talking about Kings fans. “I think that they also knew deep down that I just wanted to go out and win. Whatever it took to win, that was what I was willing to do, whether it was have 16 turnovers tonight or 16 assists, as long as we got that W I didn’t care about none of them turnovers.
“I want to think that the people out there appreciated that.”
Williams made an immediate impact in Sacramento, averaging 12.8 points and 6.0 assists per game in the 1998-99 season, and was named to the All-Rookie team. But his time with the Kings only lasted three seasons.
The Kings traded Williams to the Vancouver Grizzlies on June 27, 2001, in a move that brought them Mike Bibby. In three seasons with the Kings, Williams averaged 11.3 points and 6.3 assists per game.
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His stats are far from what’s at the front of Kings fans’ minds when Williams is brought up. It’s the elbow passes and no-look dimes that never will be forgotten.
Even to this day, Williams’ No. 55 Kings jersey can be seen all around Sacramento.