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UNC Basketball: Marvin Williams announces retirement from NBA

By Blake Cockrum

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: Marvin Williams #20 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on after a fight with James Ennis III #11 of the Orlando Magic in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: Marvin Williams #20 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on after a fight with James Ennis III #11 of the Orlando Magic in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Former UNC basketball standout and 15-year NBA veteran Marvin Williams announces retirement

Former North Carolina basketball standout and 2005 national champion Marvin Williams announced his retirement on Tuesday night following the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 5 loss to the Miami Heat.

Williams played 15 seasons in the NBA for the Hawks, Jazz, Hornets and Bucks, amassing 10,965 points, 5,546 rebounds, 1,373 assists, 824 blocks and 577 blocks over 1,072 career games. He connected on better than 44 percent of his shots from the floor, and 36.1 percent from three-point range. He also knocked down 2,063-of-2,554 career free throws, good for 80.8 percent. He averaged 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, and notched double-digit points in nine of his 15 seasons in the league.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Williams was once a 5-star recruit out of Bremerton, Washington, and a 2004 McDonald’s All-American. His commitment to North Carolina marked the first 5-star recruit that Roy Williams secured as head coach of the Tar Heels.

Williams was a member of the 2004-05 North Carolina basketball team that won 33 games and a national championship. He was an integral part of the team, despite not starting a single game in his 36 appearances on the season. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in helping lift the Tar Heels to their first NCAA Tournament championship since 1993, and the first of Roy Williams’ illustrious career.

Despite leaving the University of North Carolina for the NBA in the spring of 2005, Williams spent nearly a decade returning to Chapel Hill between professional seasons in order to complete his degree. He did so in 2014, completing a promise and a dream that he set out to accomplish when he enrolled at the school in 2004.

Williams has stated that he hopes to continue working in or around the NBA after his playing days are over, so we’ll hope to see him somewhere in the league next season.

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