The Sacramento Kings returned to the playoffs after a long drought this season. The last time the Kings had a contending team was in the early 2000s, with names like Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, and Mike Bibby leading the way.
Before Mike Bibby got to Sacramento, the point guard of the team was Jason Williams, but his behavior made the Kings pull the plug on a trade with the Grizzlies. And speaking recently, Williams himself admitted that the trade made the Kings a better team.
“It sucked at first, because I didn’t really want to leave Sacramento,” Williams said on the All The Smoke podcast. “But shoutout to Bibby and the Kings. They got better when they got rid of me. As a team, in my eyes, what I know about basketball… That team got better when they got rid of me. They had a better chance of beating the Lakers with Bibby, just the way he played.”
Although Jason Williams was an entertaining and exciting player, in the 2000-01 season, he averaged just 9.4 points and 5.4 assists per game for the Kings. Mike Bibby coming immediately added four extra points per game while reducing the number of turnovers that Williams was committing. With Bibby, the team almost went to the NBA Finals in 2002, only to be denied by the Lakers controversially.
Jason Williams Got A Lot Of Respect From Some NBA Greats
Although Jason Williams isn’t remembered and hyped as much by modern fans, he was a truly dynamic and creative player during his time. Joakim Noah named him in his all-time starting five. And Tracy McGrady gave him a huge compliment when he said that Williams was the point guard he wanted to challenge in the NBA.
“It’s not too many guys that I played against when we switch a pick and roll and I want to guard. This dude right here would do something so creative to embarrass you out there like I didn’t like to guard him in-game.”
Style points have given way to stats in the modern NBA a bit, but Jason Williams was a baller in his day. The fact that he can admit that the Kings improved with him gone is also a testament to the strength of character he possesses. True hoop fans from the 2000s will never forget Williams and some of the outrageous things he did on the court.
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