Who is Alondes Williams? More on Rising Stars game's newest gem?
Alondes Williams and Team Detlef shockingly upset Team Pau in Friday’s Panini Rising Stars semifinal matchup to reach the championship game.
Team Detlef featured a cast of NBA G League stars. Meanwhile, Team Pau was comprised of some of the NBA’s top rookies and sophomores, including San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
Thus, Team Detlef was a heavy underdog entering the matchup. However, the squad still prevailed by a final score of 41-36 after being the first team to reach the target score of 40.
Among the top performers for Team Detlef were point guard Mac McClung and shooting guard Alondes Williams.
McClung finished with a team-high 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal on 55.6% shooting. Meanwhile, Williams added 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and one 3-pointer on 50.0% shooting.
While McClung gained notoriety after winning last year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Williams is relatively unknown. This led many fans to search for more info about the 24-year-old.
On that note, below is some key background info on the Rising Stars standout:
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Who is Team Detlef Rising Stars standout Alondes Williams?
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Alondes Williams played high school basketball at Riverside University High School. He then played five years of college basketball with the Triton Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners and Wake Forest Demon Deacons from 2017 to 2022.
In the 2021-22 season, his lone season at Wake Forest, Williams earned the ACC Player of the Year award. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 3-pointers per game on 50.7% shooting over 35 games.
After finishing college, Alondes Williams went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft and subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets on July 4, 2022.
Williams split his time between the Nets and their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets in the 2022-23 season. However, he only appeared in one game with Brooklyn, going scoreless with one rebound over five minutes before being waived on Jan. 12, 2023.
Williams was re-acquired by Long Island on Jan. 18, 2023, and later traded to the Sioux Falls Skyforce on July 24, 2023.
On Feb. 9, 2024, Williams signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat to split his time between Miami and Sioux Falls. However, he has only appeared in one game for the Heat this season, going scoreless with one rebound over six minutes.
Thus, Williams has yet to score his first NBA point. However, over 42 total G League games, he is averaging 17.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.1 spg and 2.0 3pg on 52.5% shooting.
So, his standout G League play combined with his strong showing in Friday’s Rising Stars event could soon earn him more NBA opportunities.
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