Williams with the Pelicans in 2014. | |
Detroit Pistons | |
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Position | Head coach |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born: | October 8, 1971 Fredericksburg Virginia |
Listed height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) |
National Basketball Association career | |
Debut: 1994 for the New York Knicks | |
Career information | |
Jersey no.(s): | 2, 41, 3, 5 |
Position: | Small Forward |
High school: | Oxon Hill (MD) |
College: | Notre Dame (1989–1994) |
NBA Draft: | 1994 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th |
Coaching information | |
Overall record: | 173–221 (.439) |
Best record: | 64–18 (.780) (2021–22) |
Championships: | None |
Career history | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Tavares Montgomery Eli Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player and executive who is the head coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Williams played for five NBA teams during a playing career that spanned from 1994 to 2003. His NBA coaching career has included stints as an assistant coach, as an associate head coach, and as a head coach. Williams was the head coach for the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010 until 2015. He served as an assistant coach with the United States national team under Mike Krzyzewski, and he has worked as a vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs. In May 2019, Williams was hired as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. In 2021, he led the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993 and was named the NBA Coach of the Year the following year in 2022, when the Suns finished the regular season with a franchise record of 64 wins. After being dismissed by Phoenix in 2023, Williams agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million coaching contract with the Pistons, making him the current highest-paid coach.