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words // Nick DePaula:

Jason Williams is the most exciting player the NBA has ever seen.

Some basketball players had transcendent dunks. Some skied through the air unlike anyone before them. Others possessed speed and quickness that left defenders helpless. With Jason Williams, we didn’t know what the hell to expect on every single possession. He’d throw a 60-foot lob one night in Seattle, chuck a behind-the-back pass right past Nick Anderson into the 6th row of The Garden another, and then haul a 32-foot three-pointer with 17 seconds on the shot clock.

He played with more freedom and carelessness than anyone I’ve ever seen — but it was that unpredictability that made his game more exciting and more spontaneous than anyone else on a nightly basis.

JWill might be retired from the Association, but he’s still dishing dimes throughout Asia in exhibition games and in men’s leagues around the Orlando area. He’s now 40, but the flash has never flamed out.

img_4546Luckily for us, today’s modern social media era loves to come up with entirely arbitrary fake holidays, and somehow today is officially none other than #NationalWhiteChocolateDay. So, what better time to take a dive through all of Jason Williams’ best sneakers worn throughout his 12-year NBA career?

He began his journey in the league as 1998’s 7th overall pick as a Nike endorser, and opted mostly for Air Max models during his early time with the Swoosh. There was the Holistic Uptempo and Team Max Zoom to start, while he later switched to the Force Authority, Powermatic and Force Carbide models. Of course, it was the polished patent leather Hyperflight that Williams is most known for, as his all-purple pair for the 2001 playoffs helped to carry the model’s summer launch.

After his 2001 trade to Memphis (that quite honestly crushed me as a Sacramento-raised high schooler at the time), JWill picked right up and continued to wear the Hyperflight, along with several Shox-based models like the BB4, Limitless and VC2.

Before his third season with the Grizzlies, his highlight-driven game saw him get a shoe deal offer in 2003 from AND1 that he simply couldn’t turn down, just at the height of the brand’s Mixtape streetball era. He’d go on to help lead boldly blocked models like the Rise, 2Chi, Rekanize, Chosen One and several others. At the time, AND1 would let players put whatever the hell they wanted on their PE pairs. JWill’s models often featured a simple “JDUB” or “JWILL” stitched customization, with a few even reading “WHITE BOY,” a nod to his infamous “WHIT EBOY” knuckle tattoos.

Check out all of Jason Williams’ best Kicks On Court from throughout his championship-winning career in our latest Classic edition, and let us know your favorites in the comments section below. Of course, be sure to also enjoy a bonus mixtape of some of his best career highlights, which certainly inspired a generation of turnover-prone players during my childhood in Sacramento and throughout the country.

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Air Jordan XIV
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3-jwill-rookie-cwebb-1999 3-jwill-sac-holistic-uptempo-home 3-jwill-sac-holistic-uptempo
Nike Air Holistic Uptempo
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4-jwill-sac-team-max-zoom-1 4-jwill-sac-team-max-zoom-2
Nike Air Team Max Zoom
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5-jwill-sac-force-authority 6-ig-jwill-2000-rookie-game
Nike Air Force Authority
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7-jwill-sac-powermatic-2 7-jwill-sac-powermatic
Nike Air Force Powermatic
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8-jwill-sac-flight-persistence
Nike Air Flight Persistence
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22 Feb 2001: A shot Jason Williams #55 of the Sacramento Kings from behind during the game against the Washington Wizards at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. The Kings defeated the Wizards 115-110. NOTE TO USER: It is expressly understood that the only rights Allsport are offering to license in this Photograph are one-time, non-exclusive editorial rights. No advertising or commercial uses of any kind may be made of Allsport photos. User acknowledges that it is aware that Allsport is an editorial sports agency and that NO RELEASES OF ANY TYPE ARE OBTAINED from the subjects contained in the photographs.Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport

9-jwill-sac-big-flyer-3 9-jwill-sac-big-flyer
Nike Air Big Flyer
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Nike Air Flightposite 1
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10-jwill-sac-force-carbide
Nike Air Force Carbide
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11-jwill-sac-hyperflight 12-jwill-cwebb-hyperflight-crop 13-jwill-hyperflight-2 14-jwill-sac-hyperflight-pe-header
Nike Air Hyperflight
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Jordan Mossified
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Nike Hyperflight
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Nike Shox BB4
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PLEASE NOTE THIS IMAGE IS FOR USE VIA THE CONSUMER POD SITE ONLY. MEMPHIS, TN - OCTOBER 18: Jason Williams #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives the ball during their preseason game against the Orlando Magic at the Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee on October 18, 2002. The Grizzlies defeated the Magic 108-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice : Copyright 2002 NBAE. (Photo by: Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

Nike Air Max Elite
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16-jwill-mem-shox-limitless-2 1439180JM_L007298002
Nike Air Shox Limitless 
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16-jwill-mem-shox-stunner
Nike Shox Stunner
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16-jwill-mem-shox-supremacy
Nike Shox Supremacy
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16-jwill-mem-vc2
Nike Shox VC 2
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AND1 Rise
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AND1 Chosen One
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 19-jwill-mem-2chi-2 19-jwill-mem-2chi-2-b19-jwill-mem-2chi-3 19-jwill-mem-2chi
AND1 2Chi
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AND1 Ballistic
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21-jwill-mem-2 22-jwill-mem-uprise
AND1 Uprise
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AND1 Rekanize
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MEMPHIS - NOVEMBER 10: Jason Williams #2 and Pau Gasol #16 of the Memphis Grizzlies stands on the court during the game with the Los Angeles Lakers at the FedExForum on November 10, 2004 in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies won 110-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2004 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

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AND1 Player X
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AND1 Elite International
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AND1 Tai Chi
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AND1 Skip2
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AND1 Mystique Mid
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epa00708481 Miami Heat guard Jason Williams (L) is defended by New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd (R) during their second round Eastern Conference playoff game at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, Monday 08 May 2006 The Nets defeated the Heat 100-88 to take a one game to none lead in the best-of-seven series. . EPA/RHONA WISE

Nike Shox Ups
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Nike Zoom Huarache 2K5 
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Nike Uptempo Pro
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adidas A3 SS Structure
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#55 Jason Williams NBA Basketball: Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs Wednesday AT&T Center/San Antonio, TX 07-NOV-2007 X79057 TK1 CREDIT: Greg Nelson

adidas a3 Bounce Artillery II
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30-jwill-mia-pro-model
adidas Pro Model 
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MIAMI - JUNE 15: Jason Williams #55 of the Miami Heat passes the ball in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the 2006 NBA Finals on June 15, 2006 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

adidas_1
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adidas Pilrahna
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Converse Wade 1.3
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32-jwill-magic-pregame-dunk 33-jwill-orl-blue-chip-2 33-jwill-orl-blue-chip-3ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Jason Williams #44 of the Orlando Magic shoots against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the game on November 11, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Nike Blue Chip 2
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Nike Zoom Kobe V 
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Nike Zoom KD3
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36-jwill-tbt-2 36-jwill-tbt-3 36-jwill-tbt-4 36-jwill-tbt-750
Nike Zoom Soldier 9
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jwill-kings-header-cropHappy National White Chocolate Day!!

 

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