Mark Williams (basketball)

Mark Williams
No. 5 – Charlotte Hornets
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-12-16) December 16, 2001 (age 22)
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeDuke (2020–2022)
NBA draft2022: 1st round, 15th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–presentCharlotte Hornets
2022→Greensboro Swarm
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Mark Oluwafemi Williams (born December 16, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.

High school career

Williams began his high school basketball career at Norfolk Academy. He was invited to the NBA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2018. Williams passed the 1,000 point threshold in February 2019.[1] As a junior, he averaged 19.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game to help the Bulldogs reach the VISAA state tournament. He was selected to the USA Today All-USA Virginia Boys Basketball second team.[2] During the 2019 Nike EYBL, Williams averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 63.8% from the floor. During the Nike Peach Jam in July 2019, Williams averaged 23.5 points, 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 76.0 percent in two games for the Boo Williams program.[3] Coming into his senior season, he transferred to IMG Academy, which finished the previous season as the GEICO Nationals champions.[4] Williams was named a 2020 McDonald's All-American.[5] On January 31, 2020, he posted 19 points and 16 rebounds in a 64–62 win over Hillcrest Prep.[6]

Recruiting

Williams was considered a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals, and a four-star recruit by ESPN in the 2020 class.[7][8] On November 1, 2019, he committed to playing college basketball for Duke University, choosing the Blue Devils over Michigan and UCLA after taking official visits to all three schools.[3] Williams chose Duke in large part due to the possibility for a national championship, and said he wanted to pattern his game after Wendell Carter Jr.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mark Williams
C 		Virginia Beach, VA IMG Academy (FL) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Nov 1, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 31  247Sports: 18  ESPN: 32
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke Blue Devils 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.

College career

Freshman season (2020–2021)

Before the start of the season, Williams was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award preseason watch list.[10] On January 30, 2021, he scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in a 79–53 win over Clemson.[11] On February 13, 2021, Williams recorded 13 points and 5 blocks in a 69–53 victory against NC State.[12] On February 22, 2021, he tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 85–71 win over Syracuse.[13] On March 10, 2021, Williams recorded another double-double of 23 points and 19 rebounds in a 70–56 victory against Louisville in the second round of the ACC tournament.[14] In that game his 19 rebounds set a record for the most ever by a freshman in the ACC Tournament, surpassing former Virginia center and NBA Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson's 18 rebounds against Clemson in the 1980 ACC Tournament and ranking the third highest for a freshman at Duke.[15] Williams earned All-ACC Tournament second-team honors after averaging 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.[16] As a freshman, Williams averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.[17]

Sophomore season (2021–2022)

On January 5, 2022, Williams scored 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 69–57 win against Georgia Tech.[18] On February 26, 2022, he scored a career-high 28 points in a 97–72 win over Syracuse.[19] Williams was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as Third Team All-ACC as a sophomore.[20] As a sophomore, he averaged 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.[21] Williams had a very productive sophomore season, his 110 blocked shots ranked fourth-most in a single season in Blue Devil history and his 142 career blocks ranked seventh all time in Duke history. Williams also had a shooting percentage of .721, which ranked the second best in Duke history and was the only player in the country 700+ from both the floor and free throw line.[22]

On April 18, 2022, Williams declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[23]

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2022–present)

Rookie season: 2022–2023

Williams was selected in the 2022 NBA draft with the 15th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets.[24]

On February 10, 2023, after the team's starting center, Mason Plumlee, was traded, Williams earned his first career start and posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the Boston Celtics.[25] On February 25, 2023, Williams put up a career-high 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 108–103 win over the Miami Heat.[26]

2023–2024 season

On November 10, 2023, Williams scored 21 points and a career-high 24 rebounds, with 15 of his rebounds being a career-high and Hornets record for offensive rebounds in a game, in a 124–117 win over the Washington Wizards.[27] Williams injured his back in a late November game against the Brooklyn Nets and played only 19 games during his second season.[28]

Career statistics

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

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Charlotte 43 17 19.3 .637 — .691 7.1 .4 .7 1.0 9.0
2023–24 Charlotte 19 19 26.8 .649 — .719 9.7 1.2 .8 1.1 12.7
Career 62 36 21.6 .642 — .702 7.9 .6 .7 1.0 10.1

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Duke 23 15 15.2 .664 — .537 4.5 .7 .6 1.4 7.1
2021–22 Duke 39 39 23.6 .721 .000 .727 7.4 .9 .5 2.8 11.2
Career 62 54 20.5 .704 .000 .661 6.3 .8 .5 2.3 9.7

Personal life

Williams was born to Nigerian parents, Margaret and Dr. Alex Williams, on December 16, 2001. His father is a physician with a subspecialty in gastroenterology. Williams has two older sisters, Victoria and Elizabeth. Elizabeth played college basketball at Duke from 2011 to 2015 before being selected fourth in the 2015 WNBA draft.[3]

References

  1. ^ Epstein, Nathan (February 13, 2019). "Mark Williams soaring as one of the most sought-after recruits in America". WAVY. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Frankenberry, Jami (November 1, 2019). "Former Norfolk Academy basketball star Mark Williams commits to Duke". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Borzello, Jeff (November 1, 2019). "Top-5 center Mark Williams announces commitment to Duke". ESPN. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Jordan, Jason (July 19, 2019). "Elite center Mark Williams will transfer to IMG Academy". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Former Norfolk Academy center Mark Williams gains invitation to McDonald's All-American Game". Daily Press. January 24, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Koelble, Tim (January 31, 2020). "Montverde, IMG reach SJIT final". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "Class of 2020 ESPN 100". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "2020 Top Basketball Recruits". 247Sports. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  9. ^ Williams, Mark (November 1, 2019). "The Mark Williams Blog: This is why I chose Duke..." USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "Mark Williams Named to Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  11. ^ Piazza, Jake (January 30, 2021). "Tigers Tamed: Duke men's basketball blows out Clemson behind balanced offensive attack". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  12. ^ "Hurt, Blue Devils roll past Wolfpack 69–53 in ACC Play". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  13. ^ "Williams Double-Double Helps Duke Top Syracuse, 85–71". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "Williams dominates inside as Duke rolls to ACC quarters". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Marks, Brendan (March 11, 2021). "Mark Williams is quiet, but his game is plenty loud as he leads Duke to an ACC tournament win". The Athletic. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  16. ^ "Williams Named to ACC All-Tournament Second Team". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. March 14, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Krest, Shawn (April 23, 2021). "Mark Williams Returning to Duke For Sophomore Year". 247 Sports. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "No.2 Duke returns from Covid-19 outbreak, tops Georgia Tech". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 5, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "Williams scores 28, No. 7 Duke beats Syracuse 97–72". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "ACC Unveils 2021–22 Men's Basketball Awards" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  21. ^ Kannoth, Suresh (April 11, 2022). "Duke men's basketball 2021–22 player review: Mark Williams". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Roster – Mark Williams – Duke Athletics". GoDuke.com. Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "Mark Williams, 'gifted at both ends of the floor,' to leave Duke men's basketball team, enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  24. ^ "Hornets Select Mark Williams With 15th Pick In 2022 NBA Draft". www.nba.com. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  25. ^ Boone, Roderick (February 10, 2023). "The future is now for the Hornets. The Mark Williams era officially began in Boston". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Williams, Hornets send Heat to 4th straight defeat 108–103". ESPN. February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  27. ^ Stone, Jackson (November 10, 2023). "Hornets center Mark Williams sets epic Charlotte rebounding record". ClutchPoints. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  28. ^ Callihan, Schuyler (February 21, 2024). "NBA Injury Expert Discusses Mark Williams' Lingering Back Issue". Sports Illustrated Charlotte Hornets News, Analysis and More.