The inspirational story of Corey Williams from anonymity to stardom stands conspicuous amongst the realm of inspiring stories. Corey Homicide Williams is synonymous with resilience, grit, and unwavering pursuit of dreams. The moment he opened his eyes to the world, he was surrounded by adversities. But the odds couldn’t keep him from pursuing his dreams. He had diversified professional experience playing in different basketball leagues around the world. He played in 15 different countries for 14 years. Williams went on to become a celebrated basketball player in the NBL.

Early Life And Adverse Living Conditions

He was born on 24 April 1970 in New York. William’s neighborhood was not affluent but rife with poverty and crime.

Growing up he had to face a plethora of challenges like hunger, lack of facilities, and the alluring drug trade but he didn’t succumb to the challenges. He was adamant about investing his energies into something positive i.e. basketball.

High School Life

He attended Rice High School in New York City. His first name was Carey which he later changed to Corey after being teased by kids at school. It was at school that he decided to play basketball.

Corey Williams “The Homicide”

Although he had no background or mentor in basketball, he decided to take it on. He had a passion for the game.

Corey started with streetball as he had proved his worth on the streets of New York. There was no match for William’s skills.

He wanted to be the best player on the street to catch the attention of coaches at a high level. Playing his first-ever game at Rucker Park in the Entertainers Basketball Classic he scored 37 points.

An announcer named Hannibal at the Entertainers Basketball Classic gave him the nickname ‘Straight Homicide’ after he outplayed all the star players. There was no turning back for Homicide.

College Career

After high school, Williams was disappointed as he had no scholarship in the offing. But he never gave up. At last, he received an offer to play for Penn Valley CC- a junior college in Kansas City in 1995-96.

Williams cashed the opportunity and helped his team win the Men’s Division II Basketball Championship. Still a sophomore, he was named to JUCO first-team All-American.

University of Alabama was his choice for college career which is famous for its NCAA Division I program. College career honed his skills and his personality.

In his playing career at Alabama, he played 54 games. He averaged 12.5 points, 1.6 steals, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.

He had promised his mother that he would continue his studies thus earning a degree in the Criminal Justice System from the University of Alabama.

Professional Career In NBA

William’s professional career as a player spanned over six years in the NBA  from 1992 to 1998.

He played for short stints in the NBA including:

Primarily he played as the point guard in the NBA. On average, he scored 2.4 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and a field goal percentage of 36.7 per game.

Playing Career in NBL

Corey was destined to play in NBL which would take his career from anonymity to glory. He joined NBL at the age of 30 in the season 2006-07 wherein he replaced injured Rosell Ellis.

In his first season at the NBL, he played for Townsville Crocodiles and continued playing for the same team for three seasons. He was the Most Valuable Player in the 2010 edition of the NBL.

He was part of different teams of NBL from 2006 to 2012. Mostly, he played for the Townsville and the Melbourne Tigers.

Other teams that he played for are the Sydney Kings, the Cold Coast Blaze, and the Adelaide 36ers. Overall, he played 114 games at an average of 19.1 points, 4.7 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game.

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Williams Playing In Different Basketball Leagues Around The World

• Playing Basketball In Greece

Corey was the globetrotter of basketball. After playing three seasons for Townsville, he decided to move to Greece and signed a deal with a Greece basketball club Maroussi.

His experience with the Maroussi was not good as he didn’t receive his salary in time. He terminated his contract with the club after two months and returned to the NBL joining the Melbourne Tigers.

• Basketball Career In Lebanon

From 2012 to 2016 he joined and quit numerous basketball sides around the world but mostly played in Lebanon.

Lebanese basketball teams that he played for included Byblos, Tadamon Zouk, Bejje SC, Hoops Club, and Al Mouttahed Tripoli.

• Other Basketball Clubs

For the season 2004-05, he signed a contract to play for the Yunnan Honghe club of the Chinese Basketball Association.

In 2008 Williams opted to play for Kosarkaski Klub Cibona, based in Zagreb Croatia.

William also played in the Caribbean for the Puerto Rican team the Piratas de Quebradillas for 12 games in 2012.

As A Basketball Commentator

After a successful professional career, he transitioned to broadcasting and commentating which could be said to be more successful than his playing career.

His vast knowledge of the game and in-depth analysis made him one of the most loved analysts of the game.

Retirement

He made Australia his home in 2007 and spent most of his career playing for different teams in the NBL. He brought down the curtains on his career in 2015.

Williams joined NBL again in 2015 but as a commentator. He has been a regular feature in the NBL overtime show that is aired on ESPN Australia.

Coaching Career

Corey has a successful coaching career. He worked as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts from 2000 to 2007 and as an assistant coach at Florida State University from 2007 to 2013 respectively.

He remained head coach of the Stetson from 2013 until 2019. During his six years with the Stetson, his record was 58-133.

As  Businessman

Basketball made William known to the world. He also used basketball for his business ventures to give financial stability to his life.

In 2008, he signed a contract with top NBA brand K1x becoming the first player not to be part of the NBA but still having his signature shoe sold in the market.

In 2010, he became the first streetball player to wear the Jordan brand outdoor shoe reflecting his influence in the game.

He has been a rejuvenating force behind the sneaker brand “Above The Rim”. He has been the brand ambassador for the Sneaker brand “Black” since 2013.

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Homicide’s Legacy

Williams takes pride in three things.

• Hoops
• Fashion
• Inspiring people

He had a successful career in sports and introduced his brand to the world. Corey is also a motivational speaker to inspire people.

He has opened Two companies named TPWGLOBAL and THE WOLF INSTITUTE.

Patient Wolf Global is a streetwear company for those who want to excel and show their presence in the fashion industry.

The Wolf Institute is all about motivation, impact, and inspiring people. William’s company will get you to dive deep into the unwritten rules and laws of the game of hoops and how to achieve your goals.

The Moto of Williams

Basketball has given a lot to Williams. But he hasn’t been a miser also and paid back the game a lot. His motto is:

Move the game forward.

Move the lifestyle forward.

Move the culture forward.

Illness Of Corey Williams

Sadly, he was diagnosed with stage 4 Colon Cancer this year. He is in New York for the Chemotherapy.

The basketball fraternity is grieving over the illness of Corey Williams as he is a loving figure in basketball generally and NBL in particular. Sportspersons and his fans around the world wished him well. On his Instagram, he posted that he is an athlete and will fight the illness.

His difficult journey is a beacon of hope for people in general and basketball aspirants in particular. He adorned the basketball courts with his skills and inspired a generation of players to keep dreaming of playing at the highest level no matter how tough the circumstances are. Corey’s story has a lesson that with the right mindset and determination you can overcome any obstacle.