Pat Williams, title-winning Sixers GM and Magic co-founder, dies at 84 initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Philadelphia
Pat Williams, a championship-winning Sixers normal supervisor and co-founder of the Orlando Magic, died Wednesday at 84 years previous, the Magic introduced.
Based on the group’s press launch, Williams “died peacefully … surrounded by household” and “the reason for demise was problems from viral pneumonia.”
“There is no such thing as a Orlando Magic with out Pat Williams,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated in a league launch. “He was held in such excessive regard within the basketball group and was a pal to me and so many generations of league executives. Pat was by no means at a loss for a form and supportive phrase and at all times introduced nice enthusiasm, vitality and optimism to all the pieces he did all through his greater than 50 years within the NBA.
“We categorical our heartfelt condolences to Pat’s spouse, Ruth, their household and your complete Magic group.”
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Williams had an awfully colourful, adorned profession in skilled sports activities. He served as normal supervisor of the Bulls, Hawks, Sixers and Magic, a franchise he based with Jimmy Hewitt. In 2012, he acquired the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Fame.
His Sixers groups reached the 1977, 1980 and 1982 NBA Finals. With Moses Malone on board, they received all of it in 1983. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey referred to as Williams “one of many all-time nice normal managers” in a tweet Wednesday evening.
RIP Pat Williams – architect of the legendary world champion 1983 @sixers and one of many all-time nice normal managers with the 4th most wins vs losses in NBA historical past (1151 wins vs solely 817 losses)
— Daryl Morey 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) July 18, 2024
Williams was available in 2023 for the fortieth anniversary celebration of the ’82-83 Sixers.
Earlier than breaking into basketball, Williams caught at Wake Forest and performed two seasons for the Miami Marlins, who have been then the Philadelphia Phillies’ affiliate within the Florida State League. (Williams occurred to be buddies rising up with Ruly Carpenter, the Phillies’ proprietor and president from 1972 to 1981.)
Williams transitioned from Marlins participant to the staff’s enterprise supervisor. He leaned on classes from always-promoting, open-to-anything MLB proprietor Invoice Veeck.
“I drove up and Invoice was sitting there on his porch studying a e book,” Williams instructed The Sports activities Enterprise Journal in 2013 of his first assembly with Veeck. “His shirt was off and so was his [prosthetic wooden] leg and he greeted me warmly. I left 5 hours later and it was the beginning of a 25-year friendship.”
Williams grew to become president of the Spartanburg Phillies and was named The Sporting Information’ Minor League Govt of the 12 months in 1967. He then joined the Sixers because the group’s enterprise supervisor, although that stint didn’t final lengthy as a result of Williams accepted the Bulls’ GM job at 29 years previous. Former Sixers star Chet Walker helped Chicago win not less than 50 video games in every of Williams’ final three seasons.
When he got here again to Philadelphia, Williams constructed a contender round famous person Julius Erving and made a permanent, wide-ranging influence with the franchise.
Williams needed a Sixers theme track and Randy Childress, Terry Rocap and Joe Sherwood composed “Right here Come the Sixers,” which followers take pleasure in listening to after each dwelling victory.
There was a lot to Williams past the songs and the celebrities signed. The Magic’s launch notes he authored “over 100 books” and “accomplished 58 marathons from 1996-2011, together with the Boston Marathon 13 instances.”
