Two-time NBA All-Star Gus Williams led the way Seattle SuperSonics to the franchise’s only NBA championship, is dead. He was 71.
Williams’ death comes nearly five years after he suffered a debilitating stroke. According to Seattle Times, his cause of death was not immediately known, but he was living in a nursing facility in Baltimore at the time of his death.
Gus Williams of the Seattle Sonics moves the ball up court against the Celtics in 1978 at the Boston Garden. (Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
Longtime sports writer Peter Vecsey reported Thursday that Williams’ brother said the former basketball player’s body “just broke down” over the past few days. He also confirmed that the funeral will be held in Mount Vernon, New York – Williams’ hometown.
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Williams was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 1975 NBA Draft. He would go on to earn NBA All-Rookie Team honors that year and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting that season.
He played two seasons with the Warriors before signing with the Sonics in 1977, where he would quickly make a name for himself as one of the most dynamic guards of his time.
The former USC standout led the Sonics to their only championship in 1979 when he averaged 26.7 points in the playoffs.
Gus Williams of the Seattle Supersonics dribbles the ball against the Washington Bullets circa 1981 at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland. Williams played for the Supersonics from 1977-84. (Focus on Sports/Getty Images)
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A two-time NBA All-Star, Williams famously sat out the 1980 season due to a contract dispute, but he returned the following season to finish fifth in MVP voting and win NBA Comeback Player of the Year.
SuperSonics point guard Gus Williams during Game 3 of the 1979 NBA Finals, played at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington, on May 27, 1979. The Sonics won the game, 95-105, and eventually the series 4-1. (Jay Lurie/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
The NBA community mourned the loss of Williams on social media following the news of his death.
Williams retired from playing basketball in 1987 after one season with the Atlanta Hawks. His jersey was retired by the Sonics in 2004.
