William Avery (basketball)
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Augusta, Georgia | August 8, 1979
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) |
College | Duke (1997–1999) |
NBA draft | 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall |
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves | |
Playing career | 1999–2011 |
Position | Point guard |
Number | 5 |
Career history | |
1999–2002 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
2002–2003 | Strasbourg IG |
2003 | Makedonikos |
2004 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
2004–2005 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
2005 | Azovmash Mariupol |
2005–2006 | Panionios |
2006–2007 | Alba Berlin |
2007 | Galatasaray Café Crown |
2007–2008 | AEK Athens |
2008–2009 | Trikala 2000 |
2009 | PAOK |
2011 | Energa Czarni Slupsk |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats ![]() | |
William Franklin Avery Jr. (born August 8, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player.
College career[]
Avery, at 6 ft 2 in (1.90 m), was the starting point guard on the 1998–99 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, where he averaged 14.9 points and 5.0 assists per game his sophomore year. After winning 32 straight games, Duke lost in the National Championship game to the University of Connecticut. Avery, along with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, became one of the first players under Mike Krzyzewski to leave Duke before graduating.
Professional career[]
NBA[]
Avery was selected 14th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1999 NBA Draft after his sophomore year. He averaged 2.7 points per game and 1.4 assists per game in 142 NBA games over three seasons with the Timberwolves.
Israel and Europe[]
Avery was not signed by any NBA teams after his 3-year contract with the Timberwolves expired in 2002, so he moved his career overseas. Avery played with the following pro clubs: Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli League, Strasbourg IG of the French League, Azovmash Mariupol of the Ukrainian League, Makedonikos Alfa, Panionios, and AEK Athens of the Greek League, ALBA Berlin of the German League, and Galatasaray Café Crown of the Turkish League.
Avery was released from Galatasaray in October 2007, just three months after signing with the club. He then immediately moved to Greece and signed with AEK Athens. He joined Trikala 2000 in 2008. In the summer of 2009, he moved to PAOK BC. In February 2011 he signed with Energa Czarni Slupsk in Poland.[1]
Retirement[]
Avery retired from professional basketball in 2012. After retirement, he returned to Evans, Georgia where he started a basketball camp.[2]
In the Fall of 2019, Avery returned to Duke University to complete his degree.[3]
References[]
- ^ Energa Czarni Slupsk tabs William Avery
- ^ William Avery Update
- ^ @Will_Avery5 (August 29, 2019). "Guess who's back??? I have returned to Duke University to get my degree after 20 years! The support from @DukeMBB h…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com
Basketball-Reference.com
- 1979 births
- Living people
- AEK B.C. players
- Alba Berlin players
- American expatriate basketball people in Germany
- American expatriate basketball people in Greece
- American expatriate basketball people in Israel
- American expatriate basketball people in Poland
- American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
- American expatriate basketball people in Ukraine
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players at the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Final Four
- Basketball players from Augusta, Georgia
- BC Azovmash players
- Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
- Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players
- Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players
- Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players
- Israeli Basketball Premier League players
- Makedonikos B.C. players
- Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks
- Minnesota Timberwolves players
- Panionios B.C. players
- P.A.O.K. BC players
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- Point guards
- SIG Basket players
- Trikala B.C. players
- Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) alumni