Johnathan Williams

High school career

Johnathan Williams attended Southwind High School in Memphis, Tennessee, for four years, finishing with an 88–17 record and starting on the basketball team from his freshman year. As a freshman, he averaged 10.2 points and 9.5 rebounds, leading his team to a 26–5 record and second place at state, earning an honorable mention freshman All-American nod from Max Preps. During his sophomore year, he averaged 17.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 3 blocks, shooting 52 percent from the field, 48 percent from three, and 80 percent from the free-throw line, with a 26–6 record and third place at the state tournament.

As a junior, he averaged 15.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 blocks, guiding his team to a 28–5 record and a state quarterfinal appearance. He capped his high school career by averaging 18.9 points and 9.5 rebounds, leading Southwind to a 34–6 record and a state title. The Tennessee Sports Writers Association named him all-state in 2011, 2012, and 2013. After official visits to Georgetown, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan State, and George Mason, Williams committed to Missouri and signed during the early signing period in November 2012.

College career

As a freshman at Missouri, Williams started every game, helping the Tigers to a 23–13 record and an NIT appearance, while averaging 5.8 points along with team highs of 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. His 227 total rebounds ranked 11th in the SEC in 2013–14 and were the fourth-most by a Missouri freshman, while his 57 total blocks were fifth-best in the SEC and eighth-best nationally among freshmen. In his first collegiate game against Southeastern Louisiana, he posted 7 points and 6 rebounds.

He grabbed career highs of 17 rebounds and 2 steals against Gardner-Webb, scored a season-high 14 points against Northwestern, and had 10 points and 15 rebounds against No. 18 UCLA. He blocked a career-high 5 shots against Texas A&M and dished out a career-high 4 assists with a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds in a double-overtime SEC Tournament win over Texas A&M. Heading into his sophomore year, Williams was Missouri's top returning scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker, but suffered a partial meniscus tear in his right knee during the preseason.

Junior season

Despite leading Missouri in scoring (11.9 points), rebounding (7.1 rebounds), and shot-blocking (0.6) per game, he was hampered by the injury, and the Tigers finished with a 9–23 record and the longest losing streak in school history. After the season, Williams decided to transfer, with his father citing that he didn't fit in with his teammates and wasn't developing enough. Missouri restricted him from transferring to 25 schools, including every SEC and Big-12 school, along with Arizona and Illinois.

Senior season

After official visits to Gonzaga, Georgetown, and SMU, he chose Gonzaga, redshirting the 2015–16 season before having two years of eligibility starting in 2016–17. As a senior at Gonzaga, Williams led the team in scoring (13.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.5 per game), earning All-West Coast Conference selection and AP All-America honorable mention.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Williams signed a contract offer to join the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League roster, then signed with the Lakers on July 21, 2018. He was waived on October 13, 2018, but signed a two-way contract on October 19, 2018. On March 9, 2019, he scored a career-high 18 points with ten rebounds, an assist, and a block in a 120–107 loss to the Boston Celtics, averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Lakers and 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the G League.

Maccabi Rishon LeZion (2019)

He joined the Houston Rockets for the 2019 NBA Summer League, averaging 8.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in five games. On July 30, 2019, he signed with Maccabi Rishon LeZion of the Israel Premier League, recording a double-double of 11 rebounds and a career-high 19 points in a 79–85 loss to Virtus Bologna, and averaged 11.7 points and 9.1 rebounds in 18 games before parting ways on December 23, 2019. He signed with the Washington Wizards on December 26, 2019, was waived on January 4, 2020, and signed a two-way contract on January 12, 2020, averaging 13.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game in the G League.

On September 6, 2020, he signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish BSL. On February 24, 2021, he signed with Niners Chemnitz of the German BBL. On August 21, 2021, he signed with Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Lega Basket Serie A. On July 1, 2022, he signed with Fighting Eagles Nagoya of the B.League. In October 2023, he signed with the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters of the PBA as their import for the 2023–24 PBA Commissioner's Cup.

Veltex Shizuoka (2024)

On March 19, 2024, he signed with Toyama Grouses of the B.League. On November 1, 2024, he signed a short-term contract with Veltex Shizuoka of the B.League, which ended on December 4, 2024.

Did You Know?

• He blocked a career-high 5 shots in a win over Texas A&M on March 5, 2014, during his freshman season at Missouri.