Corliss Williamson

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Lore & Background

Williamson played at the University of Arkansas from 1992 to 1995. In the 1992–93 season, he led Arkansas to a 22–9 record and a Sweet 16 appearance. In the 1993–94 season, he was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament while leading the Razorbacks to their only championship. He led the team to the championship game in 1995 as well, but Arkansas lost to UCLA. Williamson was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 13th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors prior to the 2000–01 season in exchange for Doug Christie. Later, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons along with Kornel David, Tyrone Corbin, and a 2005 first-round draft choice for Jerome Williams and Eric Montross. In the 2001–02 season he was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year and was a member of the Pistons' 2003–04 NBA Championship team. He has the distinction of being one of the few professional basketball players to win championships at three different levels: AAU, the NCAA with Arkansas, and the NBA with Detroit.

In Their Own Story

The trade that brought Williamson to Detroit involved sending Kornel David, Tyrone Corbin, and a future first-round pick to Toronto in exchange for Jerome Williams and Eric Montross. Once in Detroit, he found his rhythm as a Sixth Man. In the 2001–02 season, his scoring from the bench earned him the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award. His coaches relied on him specifically when they needed a basket, utilizing his power against small forwards and his speed against power forwards. This pivotal role continued until he was part of the roster that won the 2003–04 NBA Championship. The journey to that title included his earlier trade from Sacramento and Toronto, but it was in Detroit where he cemented his legacy as a champion.

Reader's Guide

Williamson's best career year was in the 1997–98 season when he averaged 17.7 points per game for the Kings. He played a pivotal role off the bench for the Pistons, where his unique skill set made him a difficult matchup. After being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2004, he was later traded back to the Kings in 2005. He retired in September 2007 to become an assistant coach at Arkansas Baptist College. He later became head coach at the University of Central Arkansas in 2010, then an assistant for the Sacramento Kings in 2013, the Orlando Magic in 2016, the Phoenix Suns in 2018, the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023, and the San Antonio Spurs in 2025.

Did You Know?

• Williamson was named SEC Player of the Year for the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons.
• His jersey (#34) is one of only two retired by the University of Arkansas, along with Sidney Moncrief (#32).
• Williamson was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.