Former NBA point guard Gus Williams, who led the SuperSonics to their only championship in 1979, died Wednesday at the age of 71. seattle times.
The cause of death for the Mount Vernon, New York, native has not been released.
Williams, who earned the nickname “The Wizard” for his scoring ability and speed, was living in a Baltimore nursing home when he suffered a stroke and died in February 2020.
Williams last appeared in public on June 1, 2019, at a Mariners game at T-Mobile Park where the team celebrated the SuperSonics' championship. NBA Championship 40th Anniversary The pregame ceremony was attended by Seattle teammates Dennis Autry, Fred Brown, Tom Lagarde, Jack Sikma, and Wally Walker, as well as coach Lenny Wilkens.
“His energy was always so positive and his sense of humor was always there,” Walker said. “He got along with everyone. Gus was always fun to be around and we had a good laugh.
“He just had a lot of funny sayings. One of his sayings was, “There are only two kinds of people: the early ones and the dead.'' And of course he was fast. He possessed both lightning speed and swiftness, achieving haste by himself. He got the ball and weaved through traffic. He was just so fast. No one ever caught him. ”
Two years ago, Williams attended the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game and posed for a photo with Brown and former Warriors president Rick Welts at KeyArena in Seattle.
Williams spent six seasons with the SuperSonics, and the team retired his No. 1 jersey during a game against the Denver Nuggets at KeyArena on March 26, 2004.
Williams played two seasons with Golden State after being selected by the Warriors in the second round, 20th overall, out of USC in the 1975 NBA Draft.
The Trojans retired his No. 10 jersey in 2016.
Williams averaged 26.7 points in Seattle's 1979 title game and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated that year.
Williams caused a stir when he missed the entire following season due to contract disputes with Seattle.
He returned for the 1981-82 season, averaging a career-high 23.4 points per game and was on his way to being named NBA Comeback Player of the Year.
Williams was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1982.
