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.
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That season, the Sixers reached the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers. Gradually, Williams added players around Erving, such as guards Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney, along with forward Bobby Jones and center Darryl Dawkins. The Sixers again reached the NBA Finals in 1980 and 1982 before losing.
In the summer of 1982, Williams traded for center Moses Malone, and the Sixers cruised through the entire season. They went an NBA-best 65-17 and swept their way past the Lakers in the Finals in four games.
"Our advertising slogan after that first (Finals defeat) was 'We Owe You One,'" Williams told the News Journal in 2003. "We kept getting ourselves in bigger and bigger debt. So winning was like a huge burden off our backs."
Williams then left to build the expansion Orlando Magic, who began play in 1989.
Williams was the Magic's GM until 1996, building a powerhouse team around Shaquille O'Neal, whom he drafted No. 1 in 1992. He then traded the No. 1 overall pick the next year in Chris Webber in return for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks.
The Magic lost in the NBA Finals in 1995 and the NBA Finals in 1996.
Williams then became the team's president, before serving in a ceremonial role until 2019. Williams was honored with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, and inducted into the Magic's Hall of Fame in 2014.
But his legacy had been firmly established long before then, as Sixers president Daryl Morey wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "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)."
Added NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a statement: "There is no Orlando Magic without Pat Williams. He was held in such high regard in the basketball community and was a friend to me and so many generations of league executives. Pat was never at a loss for a kind and supportive word and always brought great enthusiasm, energy and optimism to everything he did throughout his more than 50 years in the NBA.
"We express our heartfelt condolences to Pat’s wife, Ruth, their family and the entire Magic organization."
Williams was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Williams actually began his career in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization upon graduating from Wake Forest. He spent two seasons in the minor leagues and five more in the front office, and three years with the Minnesota Twins before starting his NBA career with the Sixers.
Williams was named one of the 50 most Influential men in NBA history in 1996.
Williams had run in 13 marathons and climbed Mount Rainier in Washington. He also wrote more than 100 books. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, and their 19 children, 14 of whom were adopted from foreign countries.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Pat Williams, Delaware native and NBA legend who built 76ers' 1983 championship team, dies
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