Yeah right? Buck Williams… that dude who played for the Blazers back in the day. Old dude, goggles? Yes… but no. Before that, Buck Williams was born Charles Linwood Williams, in North Carolina. ‘Buck’ was born into hard work. His mother was a worked in the cotton fields in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and would take Buck with her into the fields, keeping her baby son in the cotton bag whilst she picked.
Williams would go on to a stellar three year career with Maryland where he finished his third year with averages of 15.5ppg, and 11.7 rebs. Buck was selected at number 3 in the 1981 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. At the time, he was the number one power forward in college and the only two players selected ahead of him were scoring machine Mark Aguirre & Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas. Also in that draft were Orlando Woolridge, Tom Chambers, Eddie Johnson, Rolando Blackman, Kelly Tripucka, Herb Williams, Frank Brickowski, Larry Nance and current Boston Celtics GM, Danny Ainge. Pretty good company to be in for and the 6-8 forward with the big smile showed why he belonged as he picked up NBA Rookie of the Year, All Rookie Team selection and averaged 15.5 points, 12.3 boards, a steal, a block and shot 58.2% from the field.
The 1980-81 New Jersey Nets won only 24 games but behind Buck Williams and new head coach Larry Brown, the Nets turned it around to 44-38 finish and made the playoffs in 1981-82. Buck was also named an All Star in 3 of his first 5 seasons. Buck new hard work, evident by his 12 rebounds a game he averaged in the first 6 seasons of his NBA career. As talented as Buck was, he only once led the Nets in scoring (18.3ppg in 1987-88) and never led the team in field goal attempts. Buck was the consummate team-mate, evident by his first NBA coach Larry Brown was saying ‘Buck doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body’.
Larry Brown would quit the Nets as head coach at the end of the 1982-83 season to take the head coaching job with the NCAA’s Kansas Jayhawks and this was the start of bad times in New Jersey. They would bottom out in 1987-88, winning only 19 games and 26 games the following year.
At the end of the 1988-89 season, the Nets traded Buck to the Portland Trailblazers for the questionable Sam Bowie. Williams would give the Blazers the front-court presence they never had to complement their established backcourt of Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler. In Buck’s first season, with all five starters (Williams, Drexler, Porter, Jerome Kersey & Kevin Duckworth) avering double figures, the Trailblazers went all the way to the NBA Finals but would lose to the Detroit Pistons four games to one. The Blazers would make the finals again in 1992 but were bested this time by Michael Jordan & the Chicago Bulls four games to two.
Buck rounded out his career with 12 points & 8 rebounds on 6/7 shooting against the Bulls. A typically efficent & solid game to cap off an impressive playing career that included All-Defensive team selections, an All-NBA selection. Williams also joins a select few of players whom have averaged a double-double.
Post-playing career, Buck had a construction company and more recently in July 2010, Williams was employed by the Portland Trailblazers to serve as assistant coach to Nate McMillan.
A great person, great player, great career, hard worker… and he’s still smiling.
