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Earl Williams (basketball player) facts for kids

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Earl Williams
Personal information
Born (1951-03-24) March 24, 1951 (age 73)
Levittown, Pennsylvania
Nationality American / Israeli
High school Woodrow Wilson
(Levittown, Pennsylvania)
Listed height 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College Winston-Salem State (1970–1974)
NBA Draft 1974 / Round: 3 / Pick: 49th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Pro career 1974–1994
Career history
1974–1975 Phoenix Suns
1975–1976 Detroit Pistons
1976 New York Nets
1977–1978 Alvik BK
1978–1979 Boston Celtics
1979–1983 Maccabi Tel Aviv
1983–1984 Fortitudo Bologna
1984–1985 Pallacanestro Brindisi
1988–1989 Hapoel Holon
1989–1990 Maccabi Ramat Gan
1990–1991 Hapoel Holon
1992 Maccabi Nazareth
1993–1994 Bnei Herzliya
Career highlights and awards
  • FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (1980)
  • EuroLeague champion (1981)
  • EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer (1981)
  • 2× Israeli League champion (1982, 1983)
  • 2× Israeli Cup winner (1982, 1983)
  • 2× Israeli League Rebounding Leader (1990, 1991)
  • Israeli league all-time rebound leader (1990–)
  • Israeli league all-time rebound runner-up (1991–)

Earl Lee "the Twirl" Williams (born March 24, 1951) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player who in 1990 and 1991 was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.

Early life and education

Williams played high school basketball while attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Levittown, Pennsylvania. In 2023, he was inducted into the Bristol Township School District Athletic Hall Of Fame. He played college basketball at Winston-Salem State University, with the Winston-Salem State Rams.

Professional career

United States

In the 1974 NBA draft, Williams was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the 3rd round, with the 13th pick (49th overall). He made his NBA debut on October 17, 1974, with Phoenix. During the next four years, he played for other NBA teams as well: the Detroit Pistons, the New York Nets, and the Boston Celtics. On September 30, 1975, he was traded by the Suns to the Detroit Pistons, for a 1976 2nd round draft pick (Earl Tatum).

Sweden

In the 1977–78 season, Williams played for the Swedish League team Alvik. Alvik came in 2nd in the league that year.

Israel

Williams later played professionally in the Israeli League. He starred for a portion of the time with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Holon, and he also played with Maccabi Ramat Gan. In 1990, at age 39, he was the oldest player in the Israeli League. In 1990 and 1991, he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.

Italy

Williams played two seasons for Italian teams as well: Fortitudo Bologna in 1984–1985, and Libertas Brindisi in 1988–1989.

Personal life

In 1982, Williams converted to Judaism. Williams also became a naturalized Israeli citizen, becoming a dual US-Israeli citizen.

After ending his active player career at the age of 43, Williams worked as an educator and basketball coach in New Jersey.

He is married to Merav, who is originally from Israel. They have two children.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Earl Williams para niños

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