Natalie Williams
Encyclopedia
Natalie Williams (born on November 30, 1970 in Long Beach, California
) was a professional basketball
player in the Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA).
, a former basketball
player who played for the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City-Omaha Kings, New Orleans Jazz
and the Golden State Warriors
in the National Basketball Association
during an eight-year career.
Although she was born in Southern California, she went to high school
at Taylorsville High School
in Utah
.
She also has two half brothers and one half sister. Both of her brothers played basketball but her sister chose to focus her athletic abilities on tennis.
and volleyball
, and is the first woman to earn All-America
honors in both basketball
and volleyball
in the same year. She also led UCLA to NCAA
volleyball
titles in 1990 and 1991.
in the American Basketball League
(ABL). She was traded to the Long Beach StingRays
in April of 1998, but when the team folded, she was reassigned to the Power. She was a two-time All-ABL first team selection, the 1998 ABL M.V.P., finished her first season as the league's top rebounder, averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, and on January 9, 1999, she grabbed a league record 22 rebounds.
in the first round (third pick overall) of the 1999 WNBA Draft
on May 4, 1999.
She played with the Starzz from 1999 to 2002. However, just a few weeks prior to the start of the 2003 season, she was traded to the Indiana Fever
in a multi-player deal on May 1, 2003.
Prior to the start of the 2005 season, Williams announced that she would retire after the season ended, saying that she will concentrate on raising her adopted twins, as well as serving as an assistant coach for Skyline' high school
Girls basketball team in Salt Lake City, Utah
, and launching a new career in the real estate
business. She is remembered by fans as one of the best rebounding power forward in the early history of the WNBA.
as a member of the U.S. women's basketball team during the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney, Australia.
In 2002, she opened a restaurant called Natalie's in Salt Lake City, Utah
. She carried the Olympic Torch in the Salt Lake City area prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics
.
She also was named to the United States 2002 World Championship Games team.
She considers Cheryl Miller as her basketball role model.
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
) was a professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player in the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA).
Early years
Williams is the daughter of Nate WilliamsNate Williams
Nathaniel Russell "Nate" Williams is a former professional basketball player. A swingman from Utah State University, Williams was selected first in the 1971 NBA Hardship Draft, a supplemental draft for college underclassman...
, a former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played for the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City-Omaha Kings, New Orleans Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
during an eight-year career.
Although she was born in Southern California, she went to high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
at Taylorsville High School
Taylorsville High School
Taylorsville High School is a public high school located in Taylorsville, Utah, United States. The current principal is Dr. Garett Muse. The mascot is the Taylorsville Warrior. Taylorsville High belongs to the Granite School District...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
She also has two half brothers and one half sister. Both of her brothers played basketball but her sister chose to focus her athletic abilities on tennis.
College years
She attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and graduated there in 1994. She was a four-year letter-winner in both basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and is the first woman to earn All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors in both basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
in the same year. She also led UCLA to NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
titles in 1990 and 1991.
ABL career
Natalie Williams played three seasons for the Portland PowerPortland Power (basketball)
The Portland Power was a women's professional basketball team in the American Basketball League based in Portland, Oregon. The Power began play in 1996, and disbanded when the ABL folded at the end of 1998.-1996-97 season:...
in the American Basketball League
American Basketball League (1996-1998)
The American Basketball League, often abbreviated to the ABL of 1996 was an independent professional basketball league for women in the United States. At the same time the ABL was being formed, the National Basketball Association was creating the Women's National Basketball Association...
(ABL). She was traded to the Long Beach StingRays
Long Beach Stingrays
The Long Beach Stingrays was a women's professional basketball team. It existed for only the 1997-98 season, and was a member of the American Basketball League....
in April of 1998, but when the team folded, she was reassigned to the Power. She was a two-time All-ABL first team selection, the 1998 ABL M.V.P., finished her first season as the league's top rebounder, averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, and on January 9, 1999, she grabbed a league record 22 rebounds.
WNBA career
After the ABL folded, she was selected by her hometown team, the Utah StarzzUtah Starzz
The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams. The Starzz relocated, in 2003, to San Antonio, Texas where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars...
in the first round (third pick overall) of the 1999 WNBA Draft
WNBA Draft
The WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997...
on May 4, 1999.
She played with the Starzz from 1999 to 2002. However, just a few weeks prior to the start of the 2003 season, she was traded to the Indiana Fever
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever is a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
in a multi-player deal on May 1, 2003.
Prior to the start of the 2005 season, Williams announced that she would retire after the season ended, saying that she will concentrate on raising her adopted twins, as well as serving as an assistant coach for Skyline' high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
Girls basketball team in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and launching a new career in the real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
business. She is remembered by fans as one of the best rebounding power forward in the early history of the WNBA.
Other basketball leagues and outside basketball
Williams won an Olympic Gold MedalGold Medal
Gold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
as a member of the U.S. women's basketball team during the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney, Australia.
In 2002, she opened a restaurant called Natalie's in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. She carried the Olympic Torch in the Salt Lake City area prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
.
She also was named to the United States 2002 World Championship Games team.
She considers Cheryl Miller as her basketball role model.
Vital statistics
- Position: Forward
- Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.90 m)
- College: UCLA
- Team(s): Indiana FeverIndiana FeverThe Indiana Fever is a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...