Pat Williams, co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than half a century working in the NBA, died Wednesday from complications related to viral pneumonia, the team announced.
Williams was 84 years old.
He began his NBA career as business manager of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968, then had stints as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and 76ers – helping the franchise win a title in 1983.
A few years later, Williams was involved in the early process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando. The league’s board of directors granted an expansion franchise in 1987, and the team began play in 1989.
“Pat Williams simply brought magic to Orlando,” Orlando Magic President Dan DeVos and CEO Alex Martins said in a joint statement. “His achievements will always be remembered. Armed with his ever-present optimism and unparalleled energy, he was an incredible visionary who helped transform the world of sports in countless ways. From bringing the Magic to Orlando to transforming sports marketing and promotions, he has always been ahead of the curve.”
Williams was general manager in Orlando until he was promoted to senior vice president in 1996.
“There is no Orlando Magic without Pat Williams,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He was well respected in the basketball community and was a friend of mine and many generations of league executives. Pat was never without a kind, supportive word and always brought great enthusiasm, energy and optimism to everything he did throughout his 50-plus years in the NBA.”
Williams also never stopped fighting for more in Orlando. He talked often about why he wanted the city to get a Major League Baseball franchise — eventually it did — and as recently as last year he was trying to build momentum to get a Major League Baseball franchise for the city.
Baseball was Williams’ first sporting love; he played at Wake Forest. He signed to play in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 1962, eventually became an administrative staffer, and was chosen as Minor League Executive of the Year by The Sporting News in 1967.
“He loved a challenge and when he moved with our family to Orlando to start the Magic, he was full of enthusiasm and energy that he demonstrated every day,” Williams’ family said in a statement. “We all grew up believing that anything was possible because of his unwavering enthusiasm for what he was passionate about. Those who attended games, saw him at church or spent time with him in a social setting know that he never met a stranger and was always quick to offer a word of encouragement. He was a giver, a teacher, the best cheerleader and a lifelong learner.”
Williams was once nicknamed the “King of the Lottery” due to the success he and the Magic had when he appeared to represent the club at the league’s annual event to determine who would get the No. 1 pick. Lottery luck fell his way three times, bringing Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee Hardaway and Dwight Howard to Orlando.
“Most teams have a trophy case full of trophies,” Williams once told the Associated Press. “We have a box full of ping pong balls.”
Their cases were filled with much more than that. Williams has written more than 100 books and run 58 marathons, including the Boston Marathon 13 times. Diagnosed in February 2011 with multiple myeloma, Williams became an avid fundraiser for cancer research and served on several boards of cancer groups across the country, including the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Board of Directors.
He was also a motivational speaker, frequently addressing groups on leadership, teamwork and the mental challenge that arises after a cancer diagnosis, among other topics.
Williams was born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. He was honored with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a member of the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame, the Magic’s Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class in 2014, and the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
“The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was created to honor colleagues like Pat Williams, who demonstrated his enthusiasm for the game of basketball throughout his life,” said Hall of Fame President Jerry Colangelo in 2012 when Williams received the honor. “Not only has Pat made a huge impact in his leadership to cultivate the Chicago Bulls organization and bring a championship to the Philadelphia 76ers, but he has also invested incredible effort into bringing a successful franchise to Central Florida.”
Williams is survived by his wife Ruth and 19 children, 14 of whom were adopted from foreign countries.
“Pat forever changed the sports landscape in Orlando,” said DeVos and Martins. “He clarified what those who called Orlando home already knew – that Central Florida was a fabulous place to live, work and play. We all owe him a debt of gratitude and he will certainly be missed but never forgotten.”
Preparations for the memorial were still pending as of Wednesday night, the Magic said.
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