Lou Williams Announces Retirement After 17-Year NBA Career

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Atlanta Hawks v Toronto Raptors
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 05: Lou Williams #6 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles up court during the first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on April 5, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
One of the NBA's most iconic bench players is stepping away from the game.

NBA veteran Lou Williams has officially announced that he is retiring from professional basketball. Williams was drafted 45th overall in 2005 out of South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Georgia. Furthermore, Williams was one of the last high school draftees to ever join the NBA, as the league prohibited teams from picking high school players from the 2006 draft onwards. Williams spent the first 7 seasons of his career with the Sixers. While Williams was a solid contributor, he was part of a Sixers team trying to find its identity after the departure of Allen Iverson. This was highlighted by Williams leading the Sixers in scoring during the 2011-12 season, despite starting 0 games for the team.

Becoming a free agent in 2012, Williams signed with the Atlanta Hawks but would be traded to Toronto in 2014. With the Raptors, Williams blossomed yet further into being a vital supporting player, picking up his first Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2015. Finding himself a free agent once again, the guard signed a three-year deal with the Lakers. However, he was traded once more in 2017, joining the Rockets. He was then flipped to the Clippers just a few months later, where he would spend the next four years. Finally, Williams was traded back to the Hawks in 2021.

Williams Ends Iconic Career

Williams announced his retirement after not playing in the 2022-23 season. He ends his career with three Sixth Man of the Year awards, just the second player after Jamal Crawford to win the award three times. Furthermore, Williams was just the second player to win the award in back-to-back years. Williams ends his career with 15,593 points, which means he leaves the NBA as the league's all-time bench scorer.

However, Williams also left his mark on the music industry. Having recorded several singles himself, Williams featured on Meek Mill's Sixers hype track, "I Want It All". Elsewhere, Drake's "6 Man", from his 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late, was about Williams. Williams played for Drake's hometown Raptors at the time. He was also coming off a minor scandal of dating two women at the same time, which Drake referenced in the song. Congratulations on a historic career Lou, we hope you enjoy retirement.

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About The Author
Ben Mock
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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