- Second pick overall in the 2002 NBA Draft
- Played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship
- NCAA National Champion at Duke (2001)
- John R. Wooden Award and Naismith College Player of the Year (2002)
- Current college basketball analyst for ESPN and motivational speaker
Jay Williams is a retired NBA point guard who played primarily for the Chicago Bulls. Jay was drafted second overall by the Bulls in the 2002 NBA Draft second only to Yao Ming who was picked up by the Houston Rockets. Jay entered the NBA in 2002 and became a consistent starter in the Bulls' line-up for most of his rookie season. One of Jay’s most impressive professional performances came when he posted a triple-double in a win over his hometown team, the New Jersey Nets. Jay also played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship. Throughout his time with the Bulls, Jay played with teammates Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford, and Jalen Rose. In 2003, Jay suffered numerous injuries in an accident that would effectively end his career in the NBA. While recovering and trying to resume his professional career, Jay signed briefly with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League in 2006. Now retired, Jay currently works for ESPN as a college basketball analyst and has gained experience in motivational speaking.
Jay grew up in New Jersey, and attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, graduating in 1999. Jay played basketball for St. Joseph and during his senior season was named a First Team All-State Player, the New Jersey Player of the Year, a Parade All-American, a USA Today first team All-American, and a McDonald's All-American. He was also named the recipient of the 1999 Morgan Wooten Award for his basketball achievements and his work in the classroom, where he maintained a 3.6 GPA. Jay went on to attend and play for Duke University where he excelled on the court immediately upon becoming a Blue Devil. He became one of the few freshmen in Duke's history to average double figures in scoring and was named ACC Rookie of the Year and National Freshman of the Year by The Sporting News, averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per contest. He was also voted a first team Freshman All-American by Basketball Times. As a sophomore, Jay led the Devils to the 2001 NCAA National Championship, earning NABC Player of the Year honors. His 841 points broke Dick Groat’s 49-year Duke record for points in a season. He led all tournament scorers with a 25.7 ppg average and recorded 132 three-pointers which became the sixth-highest total in NCAA history. Jay’s 21.6 points-per-game led the ACC and made him the first Duke player since Danny Ferry to lead the league in scoring. His 6.1 assists placed him second in the league, while he also ranked second in three-point field goal percentage and first in three-pointers made per game. During his collegiate career, Jay earned both the Naismith Award and Wooden Award as College Basketball's Player of the Year in 2002. He had 36 double-figure scoring games in a single season which tied him for 5th-most in Duke history with Jon Scheyer, Shane Battier, and J.J. Redick. Jay accomplished these feats in only three years, graduating with a degree in Sociology in 2002 and leaving Duke with 2,079 points, placing him sixth all-time. Jay had his jersey number 22 retired at Senior Day.
