Disappeared this summer at the age of 84 from viral pneumonia, Pat Williams will be honored this season by the Magic, who will wear a black patch with his initials on the left strap of his jersey.
“Basketball lifer” as they say in the United States, so much so that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Pat Williams spent no less than four decades in the NBA universe: first with the Sixers of his hometown of Philadelphia as a manager from 1968; then in Chicago as GM, when he was only 29 years old.
Later, he would also be GM of the Hawks, and again in Philly, with the famous NBA title won in 1983 by Julius Erving and his teammates.
An original (and also very original) member of the Magic franchise when it was created in 1989, he was the Magic's GM until 1996, before becoming vice-president of the franchise. Known for his contagious enthusiasm and his success in the Draft lottery (with two first picks in quick succession in 1992 and 1993, to get Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway), the man who convinced David Stern to establish a franchise in Orlando led his teams to 23 playoff appearances, including five epics to the NBA Finals and this title with the Sixers in 1983. And nineteen of his former players have even become NBA coaches!
A real ball of energy, Pat Williams has written a hundred books, participated in fifty marathons and leaves behind 19 children, 14 of whom were adopted in four different countries…
