Williams was born in Lancaster, California as the only child of Ziaire Williams Sr. and Marquita Fields-Williams on September 12, 2001.[2] He began playing basketball at age five and was training under the guidance of his father by age eight.[3]
High school career
For his first three years of high school, Williams attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. In his freshman season, he averaged 13.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.[4] Williams missed much of his sophomore season with an injury but saw success in the summer with his club team BTI Select.[5] On January 14, 2019, as a junior, he was named Los Angeles Daily News boys athlete of the week following two consecutive games with at least 34 points.[6] In his junior season, Williams averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists per game.[2] He earned All-Mission League first team and USA Today All-USA California second team honors.[7][8]
Williams was a consensus five-star recruit and the number one small forward in the 2020 recruiting class. On April 12, 2020, he announced his commitment to Stanford over Arizona, USC, North Carolina and UCLA. Williams became Stanford's highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era and the program's first five-star recruit since Reid Travis in 2014.[16][17]
In his collegiate debut for Stanford on November 30, 2020, Williams scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in an 82–64 win against Alabama.[18] On January 7, 2021, he recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, the first triple-double by a Stanford player since 2007, in a 91–75 victory over Washington.[19] As a freshman, Williams averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 37.4 percent from the field. On March 31, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[20]
Professional career
Memphis Grizzlies (2021–2024)
On July 29, 2021, Williams was selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.[21] After missing 14 consecutive games due to an ankle injury and a stint in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols,[22] Williams got his first career start on January 6, 2022, recording 14 points and two steals in a 118–88 win over the Pistons.[23][24] On February 2, Williams set a career-high with 21 points in a 120–108 win over the New York Knicks.[25] He then tied that record on February 24, in a 114–119 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[26] During the first round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies faced the Timberwolves. Williams made his playoff debut on April 16, scoring four points in a 117–130 Game 1 loss.[27] The Grizzlies ended up winning the series in six games, but were eliminated during the second round by the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Williams missed the first 24 games of the 2022–23 season with a right knee injury.[28] He made his season debut on December 7, recording four points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 123–102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[29]
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