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RIP to Title-Winning Sixers General Manager Pat Williams
Published:
Martin Frank at Delaware Online:
Pat Williams, who built the 76ers last NBA championship team in the 1982-83 season, before becoming a co-founder of the Orlando Magic, died Wednesday at the age of 84.
The cause of Williams’ death was complications from viral pneumonia.
Williams grew up in Delaware and attended the Tower Hill School. He became the Sixers’ business manager as a 27-year-old in 1968 before leaving a year later to become the Chicago Bulls general manager, followed by the Atlanta Hawks.
But Williams returned as Sixers GM in 1974, a year removed from the Sixers’ dreadful 9-73 season in 1972-73, the worst record in NBA history. He quickly turned that around, with his biggest move coming when he completed a trade with the Nets that brought Julius Erving to the Sixers in 1976.
Williams then built the 1982-1983 Sixers team that won it all. It was a methodical process. They lost in the 1977, 1980, and 1982 finals, adding players like Andrew Toney and Mo Cheeks, Darryl Dawkins, Bobby Jones. Then they got over the jump in 1982 when a sign-and-trade brought Moses Malone to Philly for Caldwell Jones and a 1st round draft pick. That team tore through the NBA, going 65-17 in the regular season and 12-1 in the playoffs, sweeping the Knicks in the first round and Lakers in the finals. Moses was named MVP as the team won a third of its playoff games by double digits.
If you’re on the younger side of the reader spectrum, Williams did a little bit of everything over the course of his career. He actually started as a minor league baseball player and executive before transitioning to basketball. He GM’d the Bulls and brought the expansion Magic to Orlando as well. You see the tributes from PA, Delaware, and Florida at the same time. Talk about having an impact. RIP.
RIP Pat Williams – architect of the legendary world champion 1983 @sixers and one of the all-time great general managers with the 4th most wins vs losses in NBA history (1151 wins vs only 817 losses)
— Daryl Morey 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) July 18, 2024
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com