Everyone knows the great names of the game: Michael Jordan. Larry Bird. Magic Johnson. Bill Russell. Wilt Chamberlain. Hakeem Olajuwon. We could rattle off 50-100 that you’d probably know.
There is a different level below that one though of guys who, for various reasons, never made it, and we don’t mean because of a lack of talent. Guys like Raymond Lewis. Herman “the Helicopter” Knowings. Earl Manigualt. And then there was James “Fly” Williams.
Like most of the guys we just mentioned, Williams grew
up poor and basketball was his world. A 6-5 guard, on the playgrounds he went toe to toe with players like Erving and more than held his own.
His academics were shaky though and limited his options. Ultimately he signed with Austin Peay, largely because of the aggressive approach of assistant coach Leonard Hamilton, before moving on briefly to the ABA.
When he was a Governor, the fans came up with the all-time cheer: “the Fly’s wide open! Let’s go Peay!”
By his own admission, he wasn’t well suited to more structured basketball and didn’t make it after the ABA-NBA merger. He played a few more years at different levels before being shot by a police officer ended his career.
This video delves into his legend and what might have been.
He’s still alive and in New York but unfortunately was arrested in 2023 in connection with a drug ring. He was paroled in 2023.
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