The NBA community has lost one of its most beloved executives with the passing of Philadelphia native Pat Williams.
The longtime executive, who built the 1983 NBA champion 76ers and co-founded the Orlando Magic, died Wednesday in Orlando at the age of 84.
The Magic announced that the player died from complications from viral pneumonia in an Orlando hospital.
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Williams joined the Sixers as business manager in 1968. His promotions and elaborate halftime shows, combined with the team's success, led to the Sixers ranking third in attendance during the 1968-69 season. Williams later served as general manager with the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks before returning to the Sixers as GM in 1974.
He acquired Julius Erving and Moses Malone in trades and drafted Mo Cheeks and Andrew Toney and built the 1983 championship team over time. He left the team in 1986 to join Orlando-area businessman Jimmy Hewitt and take a job trying to bring an NBA expansion team to Orlando.
The team was founded in the city in 1987, and the Magic made their debut during the 1989-90 season.
“Without Pat Williams, there would be no Orlando Magic,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He was highly respected in the basketball community and a friend to me and generations of league executives. Pat was kind and never short of an encouraging word, and he always brought enthusiasm, energy and optimism to everything he did throughout his more than 50-year career in the NBA.”
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Williams served as Orlando's general manager from the team's founding until 1996. He drafted Shaquille O'Neal with the first overall pick in 1992. A year later, Williams again had the No. 1 pick, but traded Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks.
Williams received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. He retired from the Magic in 2019 in a “primarily ceremonial capacity.”
Williams is survived by his wife, Ruth, and 19 children, 14 of whom were adopted.
In a statement released by X [formerly Twitter]The Sixers said.
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“A Philadelphia native, Pat Williams served as general manager of his hometown team for 12 years, including a stint as manager of the 1983 champion 76ers. A true NBA legend, Williams helped found the Orlando Magic in the late 1980s. In total, he has been involved in our game for more than 50 years.”
“Our deepest condolences go to Mr Williams' family and friends.”
