The NBA world has been hit by some sad news after it was announced that co-founder of the Orlando Magic, Pat Williams, sadly passed away at the age of 84. This news comes just days after the news that former NBA player and father of the legendary Kobe Bryant, Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant had died at the age of 69.

Williams succumbed to complications following catching a viral pneumonia. However, fans will be comforted to know that he was with family when he passed away peacefully.

How This News Could Impact the Magic’s Season

The news comes at a time when the team is focused on preparing for the new season with postseason fixtures helping the coaching staff decide on which areas to focus on.

Betting expert Chirag Dubey whose reviews provide Floridian consumers with a guide to offshore sports betting discusses the importance of finding sites that offer a variety of NBA betting markets on teams, players, and individual fixtures.

Orlando Magic fans will be wondering how this will affect the squad and whether it will help to bring greater unity for next season. The Magic are currently 66/1 outsiders for the NBA Championship and 28/1 for the Eastern Conference. If ever there was a time for the Magic to win their first Championship, this would be it.

Pat Williams’ Early Life

Pat Williams was born in Philadelphia on May 3rd, 1940, and was the only boy of four children. While he would go on to fame in the basketball world, baseball was Williams’ first love and he could regularly be found watching the Philadelphia Phillies. Williams eventually earned a scholarship to Wake Forest University as a catcher and went on to achieve a master’s of science in physical education at Indiana University.

Williams’ Baseball Career

As well as serving in the U.S. Army for seven years, Williams started a baseball career with the Miami Marlins before moving behind the scenes where he became their business manager. He went on to a role as the Spartanburg general manager and earned the Minor League Executive of the Year in 1967 after becoming president.

The Basketball Era

While he is best known for his work with the Orlando Magic, Pat Williams held a variety of roles for several NBA franchises. Beginning back in 1968, Williams shifted his focus to basketball; taking over as business manager for the Philadelphia 76ers before moving to the Chicago Bulls as general manager. One year in Atlanta as the Hawks’ GM followed before he made a return to the Sixers in 1974. Williams then spent the next 12 years of his career as the Sixers GM and led them to championship glory in the 1982/83 season. He eventually left in 1986 before teaming up with Jim Hewitt who had spoken of his dream of bringing an NBA team to Orlando.

In July of 1986, the NBA committee announced that they had awarded the Orlando Magic a coveted expansion spot, with the name coming from the Disney influence in the area. The Magic made their NBA debut in 1989 and Williams served as the team’s inaugural GM. The team made their first finals in 1995 after Williams secured Shaquille O’Neal as the 1992 NBA draft first pick and got Penny Hardaway in a trade for a draft pick.

After this success, Williams moved on to become the VP of RDV Sports, the parent company of the Orlando Magic. He eventually retired in April 2019 and left an NBA legacy that includes five finals, 23 playoffs, and 4 draft lottery wins. Of the players that worked under Williams, 19 have gone on to become head coaches in the NBA.

Pat Williams Final Chapter

Despite his retirement from basketball in 2019, Williams was not finished with sport and mounted a campaign to create a major-league baseball team in Florida. 

His proposal included a $1.7 billion stadium and had revenue projections of $40 billion over 30 years.

The possibility of relocating an existing franchise or seeking an expansion were both floated, but only time will tell how this plan will move forward following the sad news of Williams’s death.

Pat Williams Away from Sport

You would think that a career like Williams’ would have kept him occupied, but you would be mistaken. In his personal life, he was the biological father of four, and the adopted father of a further 14 children. He was also recognized as a motivational speaker, author with more than 100 titles to his name, and avid runner. Williams ran a total of 58 marathons, including 13 Boston Marathons.

After a multiple myeloma diagnosis in 2011, he dedicated a lot of time to fundraising for cancer research and also sat on several cancer group boards. This inspirational man will be remembered for many things in an incredible life, and Magic’s fans will always remember his part in their team’s creation.