Background and career
Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach, executive, and former player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who is the head coach of the TMI Episcopal’s boys basketball team. He most recently served as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Williams played for five NBA teams during a playing career that spanned from 1994 to 2003. His NBA coaching career has included stints as an assistant coach, associate head coach, and head coach. Williams was the head coach for the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010 until 2015. He served as an assistant coach with the United States national team under Mike Krzyzewski, and he has worked as a vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs. In May 2019, Williams was hired as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. In 2021, he led the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993 and was named the NBA Coach of the Year the following year in 2022, when the Suns finished the regular season with a franchise record of 64 wins. After being dismissed by Phoenix in 2023, he had a season as head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
Williams was born on October 8, 1971, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He attended Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, where he excelled in basketball.
As a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) small forward from the University of Notre Dame, Williams was an honorable mention All-American, averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds during his senior season. Williams was an NBA first-round pick despite a pre-existing heart condition that kept him out for two seasons at Notre Dame. He was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round (24th overall) of the 1994 NBA draft.
Williams played in nine NBA seasons from 1994 to 2003. Williams played for the New York Knicks from 1994 to 1996.
Williams was traded alongside Charles Smith to the San Antonio Spurs for Brad Lohaus, J.R. Reid and a future first-round pick that became John Wallace. He played there from 1996 to 1998.
In 1999, Williams signed with the Denver Nuggets but was released within a month.
