Lou Williams, NBA’s All-Time Leading Bench Scorer, Retires

The guard won three NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards during his 17-year career.

The NBA’s all-time leading bench scorer, Lou Williams, announced Sunday that he is retiring from the league after a 17-year career.

The news was delivered in a YouTube video, which features Williams’s daughter writing a letter describing his career highlights, including the highs and the lows. 

“You’ve chosen to announce your farewell, but still fulfilling your legacy within us,” his daughter said in the video. “You gave it all that you could give. You left nothing more to unturn. And I’m truly proud of you, dad. On behalf of the game, the fans and all those you touched, we salute you.”

https://t.co/YLp3SyIPUm 🤝🏾. Much love. And thank you

— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) June 18, 2023

Williams was drafted in the second round in 2005 by the 76ers, for whom he played until 2012. From there, he played on five more teams—the Hawks, Raptors, Lakers, Rockets and Clippers. He most recently played for Atlanta in 2021-22, playing in 56 games.

In 2015, ’18 and ’19, Williams was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, while playing for the Raptors and Clippers, respectively. He and Jamal Crawford are the only three-time winners of the award.

Williams scored 13,396 of his 15,593 career points off the bench, marking the highest total in league history for points in a non-starting role. Crawford is second with 11,279.

The 36-year-old Williams has not expressed what he plans to do next after retiring as a player.