Illini legend and three time NBA All-Star Deron Williams walked up the orange carpet with his wife Amy Friday night at the second annual Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Gala at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
D. Will was a part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class but was unable to attend last year’s gala as he was just coming off a NBA Finals appearance with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williams couldn’t pass up this opportunity again, especially when you consider the manner in which he was invited.
Williams has not played in the NBA since that Finals series, which resulted in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. He certainly looked in playing shape Friday night, as he has dropped 30 pounds in the past year. He golfs a lot these days, and no doubt would find plenty of useful items at us.mgigolf.com to help his game.
We asked the highest draft pick in Illini basketball history what his future plans are. “We’re still figuring that out,” he responded.
“I’m enjoying my time off, enjoying my time with my family and figuring out what the next step is.”
In the meantime, he’ll be on the golf course a lot, and if you’re a woman looking for golfing shoes, see also this link.
Having not been signed by a NBA team this past season, it seems his career in The Association is most likely over. So what could be next for Deron Williams- coaching? Taking a job with the University?
“Who knows, we’ll see,” he responded when we tossed out those possibilities.
“Only time will tell.”
Having played in the league for 12 years, Williams has a lot of brand name value. He also has a ton of juice within the U of I. He came down for a game this past season, the first Illini game that he’s ever seen as a spectator.
“It was awesome, my first time seeing a game, ever, as a fan,” he revealed to us.
“I like what they did with Assembly Hall, the renovations and stuff.”
Deron also spoke to the current team, and the situation was a win-win for all involved. Williams provided the players with inspiration, and for the man who hit the most iconic and important shot in program history (the 2005 “Miracle on Mannheim”) he had a tremendous chance to give back to the institution where he first made his name.
And the Illini beat Rutgers that night by a very lopsided margin. In a long, awful season that saw Illinois set a school record for conference season losses, they turned in one of their best performances on the evening that Deron Williams was in the building.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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