USC Men's Basketball Hall of Famer Gus Williams Dies At 71
January 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball
This legendary Trojan was a three-year letter winner at USC and went on to have a great career in the NBA.
USC Men's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Gus Williams passed away on Wednesday evening at the age of 71 in Baltimore after suffering from a stroke five years ago.
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Williams was one of the best players to come through the USC Men's Basketball program as the former point guard was a varsity letter winner from 1973-75. During his career with the Trojans, he received All-Pac-8 First Team and USC MVP honors in 1975 when he led the Pac-8 in scoring (21.2). He finished his career with 1,308 points, the most by a Trojan guard at that time, averaging 16.1 points per game. He also set records for career (362) and season (141 in 1974) assists. He still ranks in the USC all-time Top 10 in assists and Top 20 in scoring.
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Following his career as a Trojan, Williams went on to have a successful career NBA career, playing with the Golden State Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics, Washington Bullets and Atlanta Hawks. One of his most successful seasons came with the SuperSonics as he led his team to an NBA Championship in 1979 and a second-place finish the previous season. He made the 1976 NBA All-Rookie Team, was twice selected to the NBA All-Star Game and was the 1982 NBA Comeback Player of the Year while making the All-NBA first team. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
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This page will be updated in the coming days with information on the memorial services for Williams.
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Williams was one of the best players to come through the USC Men's Basketball program as the former point guard was a varsity letter winner from 1973-75. During his career with the Trojans, he received All-Pac-8 First Team and USC MVP honors in 1975 when he led the Pac-8 in scoring (21.2). He finished his career with 1,308 points, the most by a Trojan guard at that time, averaging 16.1 points per game. He also set records for career (362) and season (141 in 1974) assists. He still ranks in the USC all-time Top 10 in assists and Top 20 in scoring.
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Following his career as a Trojan, Williams went on to have a successful career NBA career, playing with the Golden State Warriors, Seattle SuperSonics, Washington Bullets and Atlanta Hawks. One of his most successful seasons came with the SuperSonics as he led his team to an NBA Championship in 1979 and a second-place finish the previous season. He made the 1976 NBA All-Rookie Team, was twice selected to the NBA All-Star Game and was the 1982 NBA Comeback Player of the Year while making the All-NBA first team. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
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This page will be updated in the coming days with information on the memorial services for Williams.
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