Michael Carter-Williams’ NBA career got off to a hot start.
Selected 11th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013, he recorded 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, and nine steals on his debut.
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His nine steals are still an NBA record for a rookie in their first game.
Carter-Williams had a first triple-double as a pro by December en route to being crowned Rookie of the Year.
He averaged 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists — the only players to hit those numbers in their first year are Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Luka Dončić.
Unfortunately, injuries robbed the rising star of a shot at greatness.
His sophomore season was derailed by shoulder surgery and after playing 70 games as a rookie, he never made it past 54 for the rest of his career.
The 6ft 5in, 190-pound guard bounced around the NBA with short stints on the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic.
By October 2024, he had retired — a year after signing for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League.
In 395 regular-season games over 10 years in The Association, he averaged 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
His career highs in most major categories were set in the 2013-14 season, leaving fans to wonder what might have been if he stayed healthy.
But Carter-Williams will now have another shot to make an impact in a different sport entirely.
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The 33-year-old former NBA star is making his heavyweight boxing debut on May 29 in New York.
Sam Khativ will be his opponent in a three-round bout at the Leman Ballroom.
The event is being billed as the Broad Street Brawl and is raising funds for Bigvision Community — a nonprofit that supports young adults in recovery from substance abuse.
“[Carter-Williams] came on my radar about two months ago,” Ronson Frank of Uprising Promotions told ESPN.
“One of the fighters initially who signed up to fight at the event recommended Carter-Williams as somebody who might be interested, and we were connected.
“He thought the cause was really good, and wanted to be a part of it.”
NBA’s Greatest
Carter-Williams played his last NBA game in 2023 and formally announced his retirement in October 2024.
Frank believes that Carter-Williams could be a dangerous boxer and suggested that his athletic ability gives him a shot at going pro.
“It all depends on how this one goes,” he added.
“He is very prideful, athletic, and I think he can do well as an amateur fighter.
“If he’s going pro, then that’s a whole different animal. You have to be a world-class athlete to make it in the NBA, and if he has that same dedication to boxing, along with his natural athletic ability, he has the potential to do well.”
Former Syracuse standout Carter-Williams has no regrets about how his career turned out.
“I don’t play the what-if game anymore,” he wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
“I’m at peace with my career. I’ve had so many accomplishments, and I’ve lived a life bigger than I could have dreamed. I’ve met amazing people and am able to give back, which makes me proud.
“I’m thankful for everything. I don’t have no regrets. I really don’t.”
Carter-Williams joined ESPN as a men’s college basketball analyst iN January.
He struggled with his mental health during his time in the league after failing to match his rookie heroics and some of his current colleagues may have been part of the pile-in.
“People would mock me and try to clown me, from ESPN analysts to fans,” he revealed.
“For a long time there was a whole bunch of negativity on my name, and I heard it all. Even worse, I internalized all of it.
“Five years in, and I wasn’t that innocent young kid from draft night anymore. I was anxious and depressed to the point where, by the time I left Houston, in 2019, I had reached the lowest point in my life.
“I did things where I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore, because I didn’t recognize the man in front of me. I lost everything. My fiancée, my kids, my job … everything.”
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Carter-Williams is now on a better path as he forges ahead in a new sport.
“When I look back on everything, my mental health is like a puzzle I had to piece together to unlock a better life,” he added.
After packing a punch as a rookie in the NBA, do not bet against the gifted athlete making an impact in the ring.
