Alan Williams

Alan Travis Williams (born January 28, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for UC Santa Barbara before beginning his professional career with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2015.

Williams attended North High School where he averaged 22.1 points, 16.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots as a senior, leading North to a Metro Region championship and to the Class 5A quarterfinals. He was named Arizona State Player of the Year.

Williams played four seasons of college basketball for UC Santa Barbara between 2011 to 2015, finishing his career as the Gauchos' all-time leader in rebounds and second all-time leading scorer. As a junior in 2013–14, he was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year. He also earned first-team All-Big West honors as a sophomore, junior and senior, and led the NCAA in rebounding as a junior and senior. In 112 games (101 starts) over his four-year career, Williams averaged 15.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.9 blocks in 27.0 minutes per game.

2015 NBA Summer League

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Williams played for the Charlotte Hornets (three games in Orlando) and Houston Rockets (four games in Las Vegas) during the 2015 NBA Summer League. For his play with the Rockets in Las Vegas, he earned All-NBA Summer League Second Team honors.

Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles (2015–2016)

On July 25, 2015, Williams signed a one-year deal with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association. He appeared in 35 of the team's 38 games during the 2015–16 season, as the Eagles missed a playoff berth with a 16–22 win/loss record. Over those 35 games, he averaged 20.8 points, a league-leading 15.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.

Phoenix Suns (2016–present)

On March 8, 2016, Williams signed a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns. He made his NBA debut on March 17 during a 103–69 loss to the Utah Jazz, recording one point and one steal in two minutes. The following day, he signed a multi-year deal with the Suns. On April 9, he recorded a then season-high seven rebounds in a 121–100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. In the Suns' season finale on April 13, Williams recorded his first double-double in the NBA with season highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds (alongside 3 blocks) in a 114–105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

With the Suns' Summer League team in 2016, Williams was the only player to average a double-double throughout the event, averaging 11.8 points and a league-leading 11.2 rebounds over six games, which earned him All-NBA Summer League First Team honors. On September 1, 2016, his contract for the 2016–17 season was fully guaranteed by the Suns. On November 18, 2016, he had a season-best game with 15 points and 15 rebounds in a 116–96 win over the Indiana Pacers. On December 14, he was assigned to the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA Development League. He was recalled the next day.

Regular season

Williams' father, Cody Sr., is a Justice of the Peace for Maricopa County, while his mother, Jeri, is the Chief of Police in Phoenix. His younger brother, Cody Jr., also attended the University of California, Santa Barbara.