Childhood & Early Life
Marvin Gaye Williams Jr. was born on June 19, 1986 to Marvin Williams Sr. and Andrea Gittens in Bremerton, Washington. He has two siblings: Demetrius and J’Tonn. His name, derived from his father’s name, was originally a tribute to the popular singer Marvin Gaye.
He attended Bremerton High School and took an interest in basketball early on in his life. As a junior, he was named the area player of the year. As a senior, he was named a McDonald’s All-American and won the first-team Parade All-American honors. He was also named the Washington Player of the Year by the Associated Press.
He joined University of North Carolina in 2004 and helped the university team win the NCAA championship in the 2004-05 season. However, his studies staggered owing to his time in the field. He finally completed his degree in July 2014 and graduated in African-American studies.
playing just for a single season for North Carolina, Williams made a name for himself. He won the ACC Rookie of the Year title and was subsequently selected to the ACC All-Freshman team. Later, he received an honorable mention at All ACC.
In his first year at college, he had played 36 games and averaged at 11.3 points. In April 2005, he declared for the NBA draft pickings, which put a break on his studies. However, he continued studying off the field and took summer sessions.
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Career
In the 2005 NBA draft, Marvin Williams was selected by the Atlanta Hawks. After joining the team, he went on to win the NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. In that season, he averaged at 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 79 games. His highest score was earning 26 points against Miami Heat in December 2005.
The 2006-07 season began on an unfortunate note for Williams. He missed the first 17 games due to an injury to his hand. However, he came back strongly in January 2007 against Toronto Raptors, where he scored 24 points in the game. Later in April, he managed to achieve the same feat against Washington Wizards.
In the 2007-08 season, Williams managed to earn a career average high with 14.8 points across his games. He landed 33 points in the match against Seattle SuperSonics in January 25. This continued to be his career-high for the rest of his career.
In the next season, he managed to score 31 points, his highest in the season, against Denver Nuggets. However, owing to a lower-back injury, he ended up missing 16 games toward the end of the season.
His impressive record with Atlanta Hawks helped him earn a second contract. He signed up for the next five years with the team at $37.5 million in August 2009. In the new season, he scored his season high of 29 points against Houston Rockets in November.
Despite starting off well in the 2010-2011 season, William missed several games in December and January. He came back to the field in March 2011 and scored his season high of 31 points against Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the 2011-12 seasons, Williams managed to play 57 of 66 regular games, but missed the rest due to injuries. He scored his season high of 29 points against the New York Knicks in April 2012. However, the franchise failed to reach the postseason for eight consecutive years.
Under Atlanta Hawks, he won the Hawks' Jason Collier Memorial Trophy twice (2008 and 2011). In July 2012, he was traded to the Utah Jazz team in exchange for Devin Harris.
He debuted for his new team in October 2012. He managed to score 21 points against the Dallas Mavericks. His second-highest game for the season was against the Sacramento Kings in November with 20 points. However, his performance with Utah Jazz remained lukewarm in the 2013-14 season.
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In July 2014, Williams decided to join the Charlotte Hornets and signed a $14 million contract for two years with them. He made his debut under the new team in October 2014. His highest score for the season was against Milwaukee Bucks, where he scored 19 points.
In the next season, Williams scored his season high of 27 points against Miami Heat in February 2016. At this time in his career, Williams had touched 152 three-point field goals and 521 rebounds. He was the first player in Charlotte Hornets’ team history to do so.
In 2016, Williams re-signed his contract with Charlotte Hornets. He signed a four-year contract for a whopping $54.5 million. He scored his season high of 27 points against the New Orleans Pelicans. He also achieved his career-high of 18 rebounds against Orlando Magic in the same season. He repeated the same feat against Chicago Bulls.
In the 2017-18 season, William continued his impressive performance, but the team recorded several losses. He earned his season high of 21 points against Detroit Pistons in January 2018.
In the 2018-19 season, Williams recorded a career high of seven 3-pointers against Detroit Pistons in December 2018. He equaled this record against the Washington Wizards in March 2019. He ended the season on a reasonably successful note and is generally known as a reliable and valuable player for the Hornets.
Williams entered his 15th season in the NBA tournament in the 2019-20 season. The team is relying on his senior position in the team and years of experience. Many others have commented about his mentorship capabilities that can boost young talent. There are speculations that he might be named the captain of the team as well.
