Louis Tyrone Williams (born October 27, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted directly out of high school by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 45th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. He is a 3-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, a record he shares with Jamal Crawford. As of March 2019, he is the NBA's career leader in points off the bench, and has played the most career games off the bench, surpassing Dell Curry's record in February 2022.
Williams spent seven seasons with Philadelphia before signing with the Atlanta Hawks in 2012, playing two seasons there before being traded to the Toronto Raptors in the 2014 offseason. He spent a season with the Raptors and then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2015 until the middle of the 2016–17 NBA season, when he was traded to the Houston Rockets. After finishing the season with the Rockets, he was then traded in the 2017 offseason to the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams was dealt back to the Hawks in 2021.
Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to Atlanta in his teens. Williams played at Snellville's South Gwinnett High School under Roger Fleetwood, where he was a four-time All-State selection and was named Georgia's "Mr. Basketball" as a senior. As a junior, Williams led South Gwinnett to the 5A Georgia State Championship. At the end of his senior year, Williams was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American as well as a first-team Parade All-American. Lou Williams also participated in the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic.
Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Williams was listed as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 3 player in the nation overall in 2005.
Williams, and high school teammate Mike Mercer, committed to play at the University of Georgia, for then-coach Dennis Felton, but Williams ended up declaring for the 2005 NBA draft instead. Williams finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Georgia high school basketball history.
Philadelphia 76ers (2005–2012)
Williams was picked in the 2nd round of the draft and 45th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played over thirty games in his rookie season, averaging 1.9 points and 0.3 assists.
The next season, Williams was sent to play for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League on November 28, 2006. After a good showing in the D-League, and trade rumors surrounding 76ers' starting point guard Allen Iverson, Williams was recalled back to the 76ers' roster on December 8, 2006.
During the 2007–08 season, Williams averaged 11.3 ppg, 3.2 apg and 2.0 rpg. At the end of that season, Williams became a restricted free agent and signed a five-year deal worth $25 million to remain with Philadelphia.
In game 4 of the first round of the 2011 Eastern Conference Playoffs, Williams hit a go-ahead three-pointer to give the 76ers a win against the Miami Heat, 86–82. However, the Sixers ended up losing the series in five games.
For the 2011–12 season, Williams led the 76ers in scoring with 14.9 points per game, despite not starting a single game. He was the runner-up finisher for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
On July 12, 2012, Williams signed with the Atlanta Hawks. On January 18, 2013, against the Brooklyn Nets, Williams landed awkwardly on his right knee and had to leave the game on a wheelchair. It was later revealed that he tore his ACL and would miss the rest of the season.
Williams missed the first few games of the 2013–14 season while recovering from his knee injury. He made his debut on November 20, 2013, scoring 6 points off the bench. On December 14, 2013, Williams scored a season high of 27 points. He finished the season with averages of 10.4 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds.
On June 30, 2014, Williams was traded, along with the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira, to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for John Salmons and a 2015 second round pick. On November 22, 2014, he scored a then career-high 36 points in the Raptors' 110–93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 20, 2015, Williams was named the 2015 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, becoming the first member of the Toronto Raptors to ever win the award.
Los Angeles Lakers (2015–2017)
On July 9, 2015, Williams signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He made his debut for the Lakers in the season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 28, 2015, scoring 21 points off the bench in a 112–111 loss. On January 3, 2016, he scored a then season-high 30 points in a 97–77 win over the Phoenix Suns. Five days later, he scored 23 of his then career-high 44 points in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 117–113 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On December 3, 2016, Williams scored a season-high 40 points off the bench in a 103–100 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Williams's 40 points were the most ever scored by an opponent's reserve against Memphis, and he became the first player to score 40 off the bench since Jordan Crawford in April 2014. Two days later, he had 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists in a 107–101 loss to the Utah Jazz, putting together the first back-to-back 30-point games of his 12-year NBA career. He also became the first Lakers player to score at least 38 points in successive games since Kobe Bryant in March 2013. Over four games between December 3 and 9, Williams scored 137 points—the biggest four-game scoring performance by a reserve since the NBA began keeping track of starts in 1970.
On February 23, 2017, Williams was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first-round draft pick. He made his debut for the Rockets that night, scoring 27 points with seven three-pointers off the bench in a 129–99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On March 15, 2017, he scored 30 points in a 139–100 win over the Lakers.