PBA: Kelly Williams, 2008 MVP and two-time Comeback Player of the Year, retires

TNT KaTropa’s Kelly Williams announced her retirement on Monday after 13 PBA seasons highlighted not only by championships and individual achievements, but also by her ability to overcome health, injury and age issues.

Williams, 38, took to social media to reflect on a career that actually began in 2005 when then-coach Chot Reyes invited the Fil-American to participate in the national team.

“It is with joy (and) sadness that I announce my retirement from basketball. I couldn’t have predicted that I would have the kind of race that I was able to experience, ”Williams said.

“Thank you Philippines for giving me a solid foundation to grow as a player and as a man over the last 15 years. Thank you PBA for giving me access to your stage for 14 seasons and the great fans who supported me during my time.

“I gave it my all when I put Pilipinas and my teams on my chest and I hope they felt it,” added Williams, who was supposed to prepare for his fourteenth professional campaign, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the PBA to suspend your season. .

Williams won six championships with Sta. Lucia and TNT and won the Most Valuable Player award in 2008. He also represented the Philippines at the 2007 and 2011 FIBA ​​Asia Championships.

But Williams will likely be best remembered for landing two Comeback of the Year honors, joining Bong Alvarez as the only multiple winners of the award presented by the PBA Press Corps.

Williams won his first in 2010 when he was able to recover after dealing with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare blood disorder, which forced him to miss the rest of the 2008-09 season.

His second Returning Player of the Year came in 2017 when Williams became a key veteran for TNT after years of dealing with ITP and an MCL injury in 2015.

No player has won the award since.

After playing for Magnolia in the now-defunct Philippine Basketball League and playing for the Philippines in pocket tournaments, Williams was selected as the first pick by St. Lucia in the 2006 PBA Draft.

Williams immediately made an impact with his athleticism and high-flying act, averaging 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in 45 games on his way to winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007.

The following year, Williams led the Realtors to their second and final PBA championship by beating Purefoods in a close-fought Philippine Cup final that spanned seven complete games.

Williams reunited with Reyes to join a star-studded TNT lineup through a midseason trade in 2010, beginning a career that would see the Tropang Texters pursue history.

TNT, with Williams joining forces with Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ryan Reyes and Jared Dillinger, nearly won the historic Grand Slam after winning the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup in 2011.

The Tropang Texters failed to claim the third jewel after losing to the Petron Blaze Boosters in the 2011 PBA Governor’s Cup, but they continued their dominance in the Philippine Cup by repeating in 2012 and 2013 (under Norman Black).