Williams attended almost every Magic game in recent years, watching from behind the visiting team’s benchNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Magic co-Founder PAT WILLIAMS announced his retirement from the team yesterday, and though he "held the title of senior vice president in recent years, he served primarily as the franchise’s chief ambassador, one of the most visible links between the franchise’s beginnings and its present," according to Josh Robbins of THE ATHLETIC. Williams attended "almost every Magic game in recent years," and watched the contests "from a folding chair behind the visiting team’s bench." Williams in '86 resigned as 76ers GM and "went to work to do something many people thought impossible: persuading NBA executives and team owners that Orlando could, and would, support a major-league franchise." Without Williams, the Magic "probably would not exist today." However, bringing a team to Orlando is "just one of Williams’ accomplishments." The Bulls in '69 hired him as their GM before the 76ers did the same in '74. The '82-83 76ers championship team is "widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in league history." Williams in '11 was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer, which has since gone into remission. He has "helped raise awareness about the disease ever since" (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/29). Williams was named an SBJ Champion in '13.
FOREVER FIGURE: In Orlando, Mike Bianchi in a front-page piece asks, "Can you really ever retire from being the father and founder of a franchise?" Williams will "always be the co-founder of the Magic and one of the most influential figures in Orlando sports history." He has "been in the NBA for more than 50 years" and is "more than just an Orlando sports icon." Williams is a "national basketball treasure" who was honored with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in '12 by the Basketball HOF (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/30).
