A good father, a good man and one great rebounder walked away from the NBA yesterday. Buck Williams called it a career on his own terms. He will be missed by the Knicks and all of the NBA. During a touching retirement speech at the Garden – one that was head and shoulders above Michael Jordan’s commercialized goodbye – Williams talked about the values that made him the player and person he became during his 17 years in the NBA.
On a night Latrell Sprewell was introduced as a Knick, it was ironic that Williams was leaving. “The players have an obligation to the public to carry themselves in a certain way,” Williams said. “And be held accountable.”
He wasn’t talking about Sprewell, who became infamous for choking P.J. Carlesimo Dec. 1, 1997, but the NBA in general. Every player should be forced to listen to a tape of Williams’ dignified words.
“I never wanted to do anything to embarrass myself, the organization or my family,” the consummate power forward said of his moral compass, “and I guess those things really weighed on me heavier than some of the other issues that I was confronted with during my career and made me really want to be a good role model and do the right thing so I could have a good reputation.”
Williams is Hall of Fame material on and off the floor. He ends his career in the NBA’s all-time top 10 in rebounding with 13,017 and also finished fourth in games played (1307) and eighth in minutes (42,464).
He spent his first eight years with the Nets and is the team’s all-time leader in points, minutes, rebounds and games.
Praised Knick coach Jeff Van Gundy, “Everybody knows the numbers – you can tell from that he’s a Hall of Fame player – but if character has anything to do with getting in the Hall of Fame, he’s going to definitely be in because he has character like few others in this league. To do it over 17 years and also be as good a player he is, that combination is very rare.”
Williams, 38, talked about words of wisdom he learned years ago from his dad. Both his mother and father have passed away.
“My father once told me that a good name means more than a million dollars or is worth more than gold,” Williams said. “Those things are real critical to me.”
Williams learned early to treat people with respect. So many professional athletes don’t really learn to say hello until it’s time to say goodbye. Despite knowing it was time to leave, Williams still had to grapple with the decision just as he fought for a rebound..
“I didn’t want to retire limping off the court,” he said. “I wanted to walk off the court and feel good about the last game that I played and the game at Miami really was a phenomenal way to end my career. That was a decisive game, a game that Coach Van Gundy left me in.”
Williams scored 12 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in that deciding game that lifted the Knicks over Miami and did not fit in the Knicks’ plans in their five-game loss to the Pacers.
He said the team has left the door open to join them in a management or broadcasting position, but he may even go into NBA ownership down the road.
Williams, like Patrick Ewing, never won an NBA championship ring.
“I’ve come to a realization that for some people, a championship is just not in the cards,” he said.
That guy Jordan was always in the way. Portland and here.
“My motto lately is if you can’t beat him, join him, so Michael Jordan retired, I could never beat him so I’m joining him. Maybe I can take him on one-on-one on the golf course.”
A tear came to Williams’ eye when he thought back to his parents and how far this son of North Carolina sharecroppers had come in his lifetime.
“My parents aren’t here now and that’s one upsetting note to my retirement,” he said. “They really laid the ground work as far as shaping me as a person and instilling good values and a good work ethic. And I’ve been able to carry that and hold it very dear in my heart.”
Buck Williams’ parents were not there in body, but they were there in the spirit of their dignified son.