Deron Williams

Deron Michael Williams is an American basketball player with the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In addition to the Nets, he has played for the Utah Jazz and Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League. Williams was recruited to play college basketball at the University of Illinois for the 2002–03 NCAA season by Bill Self. In his freshman year, he started 30 of 32 games and ranked third in the Big Ten Conference in assists with 4.53 per game. Williams received many awards after the 2004–05 season. Those honors include being named a consensus Second Team All American, as well as being named First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Tournament Team, and All-Final Four team. Williams was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Williams was named First-Team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2004 and as a junior in 2005, he led the Illini to the Final Four. Williams declared for the NBA Draft after the 2005 season. On July 11, 2012, Williams signed a five-year, $98.7 million deal to remain with the Nets. He is a three-time All-Star and was a gold medal winner at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.