Photos | Williams Press Conference
Former Fighting Illini great Deron Williams returned to campus this week and attended Tuesday's victory over Rutgers. An inaugural selection to the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame this past year, Williams spoke to the team at State Farm Center prior to Monday's practice and also served celebrity judge at Monday's Jock Jams, a fundraising event put on by Illini student-athletes with proceeds going to local charities. The trip also included stops at Illini golf practice on Monday and wrestling practice on Tuesday.
Williams concluded his 12th NBA season in 2017, participating in the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a three-time NBA All-Star selection and won a pair of gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Williams is the Illini's No. 3 all-time leading scorer in the NBA (13,804 points/16.8 ppg) and the UI's all-time leader in assists in the NBA (6,819 assists/8.3 apg). He played with four organizations during his pro career: Utah, New Jersey/Brooklyn, Dallas and Cleveland. Williams was the highest-drafted player in Illinois history, going No. 3 overall in the 2005 NBA Lottery.
Williams had a stellar career with the Orange and Blue, leading the program to a 2005 NCAA championship game appearance and back-to-back outright Big Ten titles in 2004 and 2005. He was a second-team All-American in his final season as a junior in 2005, leading the Illini to a No. 1 ranking for the majority of the season and trip to the Final Four after a thrilling comeback win over Arizona in the Elite Eight, sparked by his game-tying 3-pointer with 40 seconds left. Williams still ranks 43rd on the Illini all-time scoring list (1,111 points) and fourth on the school's all-time assists chart (594).
