Longtime NBA sixth man calls it a career after 17 seasons

Williams, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, announced his retirement with a YouTube video narrated adorably by his daughter.

He didn’t play during the 2022-23 season, so the announcement formalizes what he and the NBA likely already knew. Williams retired with the most points off the bench in NBA history and also the most games off the bench, passing Dell Curry in 2022.

Williams won Sixth Man of the Year three different years, tied with Jamal Crawford for the most of all time. He won his first award in 2015 as a member of the Toronto Raptors, then won it again as an L.A. Clipper in 2018 and 2019.

He started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, who drafted him straight out of high school in 2005. In 2012, he was the 76ers’ leading scorer despite not starting a single game. He played for the Hawks, Raptors and Lakers before hitting his stride in his 13th season after the Chris Paul trade sent him to the Clippers.

Finally, he closed out his career back with the Hawks, making the conference finals for the first time in 2021.

Williams was also one of the first openly polyamorous players in the NBA, something that was celebrated in Drake’s song “6 Man.” He’s also a rapper, friends with Bow Wow and Meek Mill and has a chicken wing dish named after him at the Magic City strip club in Atlanta—the Louwill Lemon Pepper.