Deron Williams

Deron Williams made his name as a talented scorer and unselfish facilitator driven by a fierce desire to win. Throughout his career, from his proud days in Utah to his final games in Cleveland, through injuries and adversity, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time NBA All-Star was a leader on the floor and off it. His efforts to generate support for causes he holds dear, which includes childhood poverty and autism, speak volumes about his character.

Not many things came easy for Williams in his childhood, but one thing that did was basketball. After all, it was in his DNA, with both of his parents having played the game in college. He also played tennis and wrestled in his youth (winning championships at the latter), but he started playing hoops at a young age, and became part of an uprising of young basketball talent in the Dallas area at the turn of the century.

In 2001, his junior year, Williams helped guide The Colony High School to the Texas state semifinals. But it was teammate Bracey Wright, the team’s shooting guard and the benefactor of hundreds of Williams' passes, who received the majority of attention from recruiters. Wright eventually attended Indiana University.

The offers didn’t pour in for Deron as they did for Wright. North Carolina and Kansas, two of the premier programs in the nation, had him on their radar, but only as a backup plan for Raymond Felton and Aaron Miles. Williams thought he was destined for Georgia Tech, but Jarrett Jack committed before he even took his visit.

He was ranked among the top 50 players in the nation as a senior, but wasn’t selected for the McDonald’s All-America game. Instead he watched from home as three Dallas area stars — his teammate Wright, Chris Bosh of Dallas Lincoln and Daniel Horton, a point guard from Cedar Hill — took the national stage.

But when the Fighting Illini of Illinois came calling, they saw Williams as the perfect fit under head coach Bill Self. He was personally recruited by Self assistant Billy Gillespie, who later coached at Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech.

Williams averaged 17.6 points, 8.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game as a senior. He finished his high school career at The Colony 90-8 with the one state semifinal appearance. He accepted the offer from Illinois, and headed off to Champaign ready to take the next step in his career.