Charles Linwood Williams was a terrific basketball player, but also a top-quality human being. The combination of talent and character served him well during a distinguished 17-year career, including seven with Portland from 1989-96.
Williams was the missing link that provided the impetus for the Blazers’ three-year run from 1989-92 in which they averaged just shy of 60 regular-season wins and twice reached the NBA Finals. Teaming with Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth in the starting five, Williams coagulated the group into one with synergy and purpose capable of beating any opponent on a given night.
On June 24, 1989, Portland acquired Williams in a trade with New Jersey. They sent back oft-injured center Sam Bowie and a first-round draft pick. With that pick, the Nets took Mookie Blaylock, who became a starting point guard for many years in the league and played in the 1994 All-Star game. Even so, it was one of the best deals in Trail Blazer history.
