Jason Chandler Williams was born on 18 November, 1975 in Belle, West Virginia USA. He is the former basketball player who played the point guard position in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A noted point guard, how rich is Jason Williams? As reported by sources, he has acquired a net worth over $20 million, as of early 2016. His wealth has been accumulated during his career as a professional basketball player, as well as by his many endorsement deals.
Jason Williams Net Worth $20 Million
During his early childhood years, Williams excelled in sports and already at the age of seven he became a skilled basketball player determined to become a professional NBA player one day. He attended DuPont High School in Belle and played for the school team DuPont Panthers in 1994 where he was considered a highly successful player, winning the West Virginia Player of the Year award and becoming the only player in the school’s history with more than 1,000 career points. Williams then attended Marshal University where he played basketball from 1994 to 1996, averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 assists per game in his freshman year. When the team’s coach moved to another position at the University of Florida, Williams followed him and eventually became the point guard for the Florida Gators team. Although he proved himself as a successful player within this team, the university suspended him due to his use of marijuana. This would haunt him in the NBA several years later.
After the suspension, Williams declared himself eligible for the 1998 NBA Draft and was chosen as the seventh overall pick in the first round by the Sacramento Kings. Although he had difficulties in adjusting to life in the NBA, the player led the Kings with 299 assists in the 1999 season, getting the nickname White Chocolate. Next year he was suspended for the first five games, for the same issue with marijuana as with the Florida Gators. In 2000 the NBA levied him a $10,000 fine for insulting fans during a game, and the following year he was again fined $15,000 for racist comments to a season ticket holder with the Golden State Warriors. This resulted in Nike refusing to include the player in their advertising campaign.
In 2001 Williams was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Although he was quite successful in games, and increasing his wealth significantly, the incidents didn’t stop and he was fined $10,000 for shouting at a Memphis sports columnist.
The player was traded to the Miami Heat in 2005. He stayed out of trouble this time and was part of the Heats 2006 NBA championship team in the NBA Finals, averaging 12 points and five assists. This considerably added to his net worth.
Although he had announced his retirement in 2008, Williams signed with the Orlando Magic the following year. However, he was released from the team in 2011 after a knee injury which caused him to miss many games. He then signed a two-year deal with his former team the Memphis Grizzlies, but announced his retirement the same year. He finished his career with 8,266 points, 4,611 assists and 933 steals.
In his personal life, Williams is married to Denika Kisty with whom he has three children. His 13 year old son Jaxon became popular on the internet, making headlines for playing basketball like a pro. He has already got the nick name White Chocolate Jr.
Although Williams made several incidents during his time as a professional player, his personality proved to have another side. During his time at Memphis Grizzlies, he founded a charitable foundation named We Will Foundation, benefiting children with craniofacial deformities. He was also frequently visiting kids at St. Jude Children Hospital at the same time.
