Source: Jim McIsaac / Getty / Lou Williams
Lou Williams, the greatest bench player in the history of the NBA, is finally hanging up sneakers.
The 3x Sixth Man of Year winning guard is calling it a career. He announced on Father’s Day, accompanied by a touching video tribute narrated by his daughter. In the caption for the Instagram post, he wrote, “Thank you all. 🤝🏾.. JJ, Zoe $, Syx Man. Thank y’all. Much love 🏀. Happy Fathers Day. Well Done, Underground. Farewell.”
Lou Williams was the ultimate team player throughout his 17-year NBA career. He made his money coming off the bench, becoming the definition of what a Sixth Man should be.
The 36-year-old future Hall-of-Famer won three Sixth Man of the Year awards (2015, ’18, ’19), tying him with Jamal Crawford for the most in NBA history.
Williams accomplished all this while appearing in 1,123 career games, starting in only 122. The human bucket off the bench dropped 13,396 points off the bench, an NBA record.
When it was all said and done, Williams averaged 13.9 points and 3.4 assists while putting on the jersey for six teams, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and LA Clippers.
His final game was as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in April 2022, and he leaves the league scoring 15,593 points, 131st in NBA history.
Lou Williams was the final pick in the 45th pick in the 2005 NBA draft after coming straight out of High School, and per ESPN, out of the 60 players in that draft, only Chris Paul has more points than Williams.
Legendary off The Court
While his actions on the court will most certainly earn him a spot in The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Fame, he is also legendary in the hood.
The explosive guard is also known for having two girlfriends with whom he has children. He spoke about it in a 2021 interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.
People even thought they were sisters, I was like, ‘That’s ridiculous.’ I didn’t like the part where I couldn’t control what was being said and how they were viewed. Both of those women are mothers of my children, not just some random girls I’m running around with…
In the same interview, he also spoke about the infamous NBA bubble incident that earned him the nickname Lemon Pepper Lou where he broke the NBA’s strict quarantine protocols to visit Atlanta’s famous strip club, Magic City, to get some of its famous lemon pepper chicken wings.
Williams got in trouble after rapper Jack Harlow posted a photo with Williams at the adult entertainment establishment. Even after Williams said he was there for only the food, one of the dancers claimed she gave him a lap dance.
Williams would later coopt the nickname and is even dropping seasonings. Like his idol, Allen Iverson, Williams also tried rapping.
Salute to Lemon Pepper Lou.
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Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty
