Kelly Williams is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the USA.
In 2004, Kelly Williams was spotted by then Philippine National Team head coach Chot Reyes after the latter liked the former’s work ethic and style of play. Reyes invited Williams to try out for the Philippine Team. Williams agreed to it, ensuing his arrival at the local basketball scene.
After displaying skills in exhibition games with the Philippine Team, he caught the attention of Filipino basketball aficionados, awarding him the title as the next big thing in Philippine basketball. Hence, he did not disappoint as he averaged 17.1 points and 12.8 rebounds during his stint with the Philippine Basketball League’s (PBL) Magnolia.
When the Realtors took the first overall draft right in 2006, they did not hesitate to pick Kelly Williams over two-time UAAP MVP Arwind Santos, who was later picked second overall by the Air21 Express. During his rookie season, he normed averages of 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds earning him the Rookie of the Year award, making him the second Realtor to do so after Jun Limpot in 1993. In his sophomore year, he improved his game immensely, helping his team win their second championship overall and grabbing the league’s Most Valuable Player award along the way.
In 2008, Kelly Williams was again named into the RP Training Pool under Coach Yeng Guiao. He was also entitled the PBA Most Valuable Player the same year.
In 2009, during the All-Star Week, Kelly Williams was diagnosed of thrombocytopenia and was out for the remaining games of the entire conference. With his absence, his team did not last long and was eliminated by the Burger King Whoopers. He was also cut from the training pool for the national team because of his illness.
In the middle of 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference, Kelly Williams, along with teammates Ryan Reyes and Charles Walters, was traded to the Talk N Text Phone Pals for Ali Peek, Nic Belasco, Yousif Aljamal, and Ogie Menor. The deal was brought about by Sta. Lucia’s financial problems. Since joining Tropang Texters, in 2010, he won five championships.
In 2011, Kelly Williams suited up and was the starting power forward for the Smart Gilas national basketball team, the national team of the Philippines who finished 4th in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.
