Professional career
The New York Knicks acquired Williams in a draft-day trade in 2002 from the Denver Nuggets. He played sparingly in his first season, but found a bit more time on the court during the first half of the 2003-04 season. Unfortunately, new GM Isiah Thomas then traded for star point guard Stephon Marbury, and Williams was relegated back to the end of the bench. The Chicago Bulls acquired him as part of a multi-player trade in the next off-season, where Williams was popular due to his time with the Illini, and expected him to compete with Kirk Hinrich for the starting point guard job, but he showed up to training camp out of shape and spent most of the 2004-05 season on injured reserve. Dissatisfied with his effort, Chicago announced that he would not be re-signed for the next season. Williams signed with the Los Angeles Clippers on October 1, 2005, but was released four days later.
Williams' final NBA game was on March 9, 2005, in a 97–84 win over the Portland Trail Blazers where he recorded he recorded no stats in 6 minutes of playing time. Williams played a total of 86 NBA games and averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 assists.
Personal
On June 10, 2009, Williams and his younger brother, Aaron, were arrested on drug charges at his Peoria, Illinois home after agents seized 55 grams of marijuana. Frank Williams was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, and accepted a plea deal of a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge and a $1,000 fine. [2]
Williams’ son, Da’Monte Williams, was a guard for the University of Illinois basketball team. [3]
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