Man, this actually is terrible news I did not want to read tonight.
RIP to a legend.
TimeTravelingTiddy
From Wikipedia
> As the year before Orlando executive Jim Hewitt told Williams of his idea of bringing an NBA team to his city, he decided to join Hewitt’s investment group. Williams invested in convincing NBA commissioner David Stern and the league owners of the viability of the small-town Florida city in supporting an NBA franchise. The league awarded the Orlando Magic an expansion spot in 1987, with the team making its debut in 1989. Serving as the franchise’s inaugural manager, Williams helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals by drafting Shaquille O’Neal and trading a draft pick for Penny Hardaway. The following year, he was promoted to senior vice president of Magic parent company RDV Sports, Inc.
> In his NBA career, Williams led his teams to 23 NBA Playoffs and five NBA Finals. He won four NBA draft lotteries, including back-to-back winners in 1992 and 1993 and most recently in 2004. Williams signed Billy Cunningham, Chuck Daly, and Matt Guokas to their first professional coaching contracts. Nineteen of his former players have become NBA head coaches.
> In April 2019, after a career that has spanned more than 56 years, including 30-plus years with the Magic and 51 years in the NBA Pat Williams announced his retirement.
3 Comments
Man, this actually is terrible news I did not want to read tonight.
RIP to a legend.
From Wikipedia
> As the year before Orlando executive Jim Hewitt told Williams of his idea of bringing an NBA team to his city, he decided to join Hewitt’s investment group. Williams invested in convincing NBA commissioner David Stern and the league owners of the viability of the small-town Florida city in supporting an NBA franchise. The league awarded the Orlando Magic an expansion spot in 1987, with the team making its debut in 1989. Serving as the franchise’s inaugural manager, Williams helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals by drafting Shaquille O’Neal and trading a draft pick for Penny Hardaway. The following year, he was promoted to senior vice president of Magic parent company RDV Sports, Inc.
> In his NBA career, Williams led his teams to 23 NBA Playoffs and five NBA Finals. He won four NBA draft lotteries, including back-to-back winners in 1992 and 1993 and most recently in 2004. Williams signed Billy Cunningham, Chuck Daly, and Matt Guokas to their first professional coaching contracts. Nineteen of his former players have become NBA head coaches.
> In April 2019, after a career that has spanned more than 56 years, including 30-plus years with the Magic and 51 years in the NBA Pat Williams announced his retirement.
RIP
Rip the OG Magic