Introduction
Shelden DeMar Williams (born October 21, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball at Duke University, where his #23 jersey was retired on January 28, 2007.
His size (6'9", 250 lbs), aggressive style of play, and shot-blocking ability earned him the nickname "The Landlord." During high school, Williams was a member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He earned the 2005 and 2006 NABC Defensive Player of the Year Awards while at Duke, becoming only the fifth player in history to earn the award two consecutive years. He holds Duke's career blocks record, single-season blocks record, and career rebounding record, while he is 17th in career blocks on the NCAA charts. He is the third player in ACC history to have 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 350 blocks (joining Tim Duncan and Ralph Sampson). His 1,217 rebounds and 1,859 career points rank him seventh in ACC history and sixteenth in Duke history, respectively. Williams became only the third Duke basketball player to record a triple-double when Duke defeated Maryland on January 11, 2006, recording 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks.
High school career
- 2002 EA Sports High School All-America selection
- Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year: 2001, 2002
- 2001 USA Today Oklahoma Player of the Year
- Oklahoma Player of the Year in 2001 by the Daily Oklahoman
- Oklahoma Defensive Player of the Year: 2000, 2001
- Ranked number 49 in the nation among all players by ESPN.com following his senior season (averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists as a senior)
- Rated the nation's fifth-best prep player by Future Stars and BlueChipHoops.com and sixth by College Basketball News entering the 2001–02 season
- The Sporting News listed Williams as the nation's sixth-best prep player entering 2001–02
- Rated the nation's number one forward by Basketball News and Prepstar
- Three-time all-state, all-district and all-city selection (1999–2001)
- 2001 Parade All-America
Collegiate career
Williams played for the Duke University men's basketball team from 2002–2006. He majored in sociology with a markets and management studies certificate.
Records
As of graduating from Duke University, Williams held records for:
- Duke all-time leader in blocked shots (422)
- Duke all-time leader in rebounds
- Duke single season blocked shots
Statistics
Third player in NCAA history to score 1500 points, grab 1000 rebounds, block 350 shots, and pick up 150 steals.
Awards
- National Association of Basketball Coaches Defensive Player of the Year: 2005, 2006
- Associated Press First Team All American: 2006
- John R. Wooden First Team All American: 2006
- Senior CLASS All-Senior All American Team: 2006
- John R. Wooden National Player of the Year Finalist: 2006
- NBA Rookie of the Month: April 2007
Professional career
NBA career
Williams was selected by the Hawks with the fifth pick in the 2006 NBA draft. On February 16, 2008, Williams was involved in a multi-player trade to the Sacramento Kings for Mike Bibby.
On February 19, 2009, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Bobby Brown for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.
On August 7, 2009, he signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics.
On July 14, 2010, he signed a one-year contract with the Denver Nuggets.
On February 22, 2011, Williams was traded to the New York Knicks in a three-way blockbuster deal also involving Minnesota Timberwolves that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York.
European career
On August 28, 2012 he signed a one-year contract with the French League champions Élan Chalon. Over 10 games in the 2012–13 Euroleague season, he averaged 11.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Asian career
In October 2013, Williams signed with Tianjin Ronggang of China.
Personal life
On November 13, 2008, Williams married former University of Tennessee Lady Vols and current Los Angeles Sparks basketball star Candace Parker. They have a daughter named Lailaa.In November 2016, Williams filed for divorce claiming irreconcilable differences. They've been living separate for 3 months prior to the divorce.
Career statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | ||
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating | ||
| Bold | Career high | ||||||
Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Atlanta | 81 | 31 | 18.7 | .455 | .500 | .764 | 5.4 | .5 | .6 | .5 | 5.5 |
| 2007–08 | Atlanta | 36 | 0 | 11.5 | .370 | .000 | .686 | 3.0 | .3 | .4 | .3 | 3.0 |
| 2007–08 | Sacramento | 28 | 0 | 12.9 | .491 | .000 | .667 | 3.5 | .3 | .3 | .4 | 5.2 |
| 2008–09 | Sacramento | 30 | 0 | 10.2 | .449 | .000 | .762 | 2.6 | .3 | .4 | .3 | 3.7 |
| 2008–09 | Minnesota | 15 | 0 | 13.8 | .441 | .000 | .667 | 5.0 | .3 | .7 | .5 | 4.9 |
| 2009–10 | Boston | 54 | 0 | 11.1 | .521 | .000 | .765 | 2.7 | .4 | .2 | .4 | 3.7 |
| 2010–11 | Denver | 42 | 32 | 17.0 | .453 | .000 | .739 | 5.3 | .5 | .4 | .5 | 4.7 |
| 2010–11 | New York | 17 | 6 | 11.6 | .538 | .000 | .828 | 2.9 | .8 | .3 | .2 | 3.9 |
| 2011–12 | New Jersey | 58 | 35 | 22.0 | .478 | .000 | .731 | 6.0 | .6 | .8 | .7 | 4.6 |
| Career | 361 | 104 | 15.5 | .462 | .222 | .740 | 4.3 | .5 | .5 | .5 | 4.5 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Boston | 8 | 0 | 7.1 | .444 | .000 | .833 | 1.6 | .0 | .1 | .0 | 1.6 |
| Career | 8 | 0 | 7.1 | .444 | .000 | .833 | 1.6 | .0 | .1 | .0 | 1.6 |
Euroleague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Élan Chalon | 10 | 10 | 23.0 | .518 | .000 | .641 | 7.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .7 | 11.3 | 14.8 |
| Career | 10 | 10 | 23.0 | .518 | .000 | .641 | 7.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .7 | 11.3 | 14.8 |