Sports Column

If NBA calls, Buck’s ready

On Sports

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Sep 9, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

CHARLES LINWOOD “BUCK” WILLIAMS

Charles Linwood Williams’ No. 52 has been retired by the New Jersey Nets, but his heart is in Portland.

“I consider myself a Trail Blazer, quite frankly,” says the man NBA fans knew as Buck. “Even though my jersey hangs in the rafters in New Jersey, I had some wonderful years in Portland. … The Blazers will always hold a special place for me and my family.”

When Williams opened his remarks Saturday at Kevin Duckworth’s memorial service with, “Hello, Portland,” there was a crescendo of applause from the fans at Memorial Coliseum.

Part of it was appreciation for Williams’ appearance on short notice following a cross-country flight from his home in Potomac, Md.

Part of it was recognition for a man who hasn’t been forgotten in these parts, though he departed a dozen years ago.

Clyde Drexler was the premier player and Terry Porter a go-to man in the clutch, but Williams was the backbone of those extraordinary Portland teams that had a sensational three-year run, making the NBA finals in 1990 and ’92.

An undersize power forward – at 6-8 and 225 pounds, he was smaller than LeBron James is today – Williams was a durable inside force, a relentless rebounder and a lock-down defender who spent eight seasons in a Portland uniform from 1989-96.

Williams, who served a term as president of the NBA Players Association, now is president of the Retired NBA Players Association.

“These times I’ve been president, they are pretty thankless jobs,” Williams says, with a laugh. But they have given him a chance to display his leadership skills, which are considerable.

Since his retirement in 1998, Williams and his family – wife Mimi, and sons Julian, 19, and Malek, 16 – have lived in Potomac, where Buck runs a construction firm. He says business has remained good despite the economic slowdown, “but my real goal is to make my way back to the NBA.”

Williams, 48, isn’t planning a comeback as a player.

“I’m trying to get my foot in the door in the management side, or even in coaching,” he says. “But I haven’t been able to make a connection yet. I’ve been out of the league 10 years now. You’re as good as your last game, I guess.”

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