Basketball Hall of Fame

As a point guard, Frank Williams starred at both the high school and collegiate levels, and played briefly in the NBA.

Williams attended Manual High School, where he was a member of one of the most heralded teams in the nation. Williams led Peoria Manual to the final two of four consecutive IHSA class AA boys state basketball tournaments, in 1996 as a sophomore and again in 1997 as a junior. In both tournaments, Williams was named to the five-player All-Tournament team. As a Manual senior, the 6-foot-3 Williams averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Rams team that finished 27-3 and ended the string of state titles with a loss in the supersectional. Williams was named a McDonald's All-American and was named Mr. Basketball in Illinois.

Williams attended the University of Illinois, and played three seasons for the Fighting Illini under head coach Bill Self, leading the team to a string of NCAA Tournament appearances. Frank led the team in steals all three seasons and led the team in scoring in 2001 and 2002. He finished his career at Illinois scoring 1,440 points, was two-time Illinois MVP, and started 97 out of 101 games. After the 2000-2001 season, Williams was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball award. While at Illinois, Williams was reunited with high school teammates Marcus Griffin and Sergio McClain. They earned a No. 1 seed and eventually went to the Elite Eight in 2001. He was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004. In 2007, Williams was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament," recognizing his superior performance in his appearance in the tournament.

In the 2002 NBA draft, Denver selected Williams with the 25th pick in the first round. He was then dealt to the New York Knicks. Williams spent two seasons in New York before being traded to the Chicago Bulls for one season. In 86 NBA games he averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 assists.