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Player profile · DAL / IND / NYK / TOR
Herb Williams
Herb Williams stats, teams and career impact
#577 all-timeCareer averages · 10.8 PPG · 5.9 RPG · 1.7 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- New York Knicks
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 11 in (211 cm) · 260 lb (118 kg)
- Born
- February 16, 1958 (68 yrs old)
- College
- Ohio State
- NBA seasons
- 18 seasons · 1981–82 to 1998–99
Career summaryHerb Williams was a center who played 18 NBA seasons, from 1981–82 through 1998–99.
- Career PPG
- 10.8
- Career RPG
- 5.9
- Career APG
- 1.7
- #36 in 1981–82
- #577 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Herb Williams ranks #577 all time
Herb Williams ranks #577 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #42.3. His full-career value ranks #563, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
1,102 games · Career Value Rank #563
Head to head
Compare Herb Williams with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Herb Williams vs. Tyson Chandler Similar career path
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- Herb Williams vs. Danny Schayes Same-era comparison
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- Herb Williams vs. Charles Jones Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Toronto Raptors
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 46.7%FG%
- Three-point
- 9.5%3P%
- Free throw
- 69.6%FT%
1,102 career games · 28,484 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Herb Williams stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1998–99 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -10.69 | NYK | 6 | 0 | 5.7 | 50.0% | — | 100.0% | — | -5.4 |
| 1997–98 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | -6.84 | NYK | 27 | 0 | 6.6 | 41.9% | — | 12.5% | — | -15.8 |
| 1996–97 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.2 | -6.18 | NYK | 21 | 2 | 8.8 | 39.1% | 0.0% | 75.0% | — | -14.5 |
| 1995–96 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | -3.29 | NYK/TOR | 44 | 2 | 13.0 | 40.8% | 25.0% | 65.0% | #269 | -13.9 |
| 1994–95 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 0.5 | -3.80 | NYK | 56 | 3 | 13.3 | 45.6% | — | 62.2% | #277 | -25.5 |
| 1993–94 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 0.4 | -2.78 | NYK | 70 | 3 | 11.1 | 44.2% | 0.0% | 64.3% | #246 | -11.7 |
| 1992–93 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 0.3 | -2.07 | NYK | 55 | 0 | 10.4 | 41.1% | — | 66.7% | #208 | -0.8 |
| 1991–92 | 11.5 | 6.1 | 1.3 | -2.28 | DAL | 75 | 26 | 27.2 | 43.1% | 16.7% | 72.5% | #220 | -11.3 |
| 1990–91 | 12.4 | 6.0 | 1.6 | -1.82 | DAL | 60 | 36 | 30.5 | 50.7% | 0.0% | 63.8% | #202 | 6.3 |
| 1989–90 | 8.6 | 4.8 | 1.5 | -2.25 | DAL | 81 | 19 | 27.1 | 44.4% | 22.2% | 67.9% | #208 | -11.0 |
| 1988–89 | 10.2 | 7.8 | 1.6 | -2.79 | DAL/IND | 76 | 66 | 32.5 | 43.6% | 0.0% | 68.6% | #210 | -40.1 |
| 1987–88 | 10.0 | 6.3 | 1.3 | -2.39 | IND | 75 | 37 | 26.2 | 42.5% | 0.0% | 73.7% | #197 | -15.5 |
| 1986–87 | 14.9 | 7.3 | 2.4 | +0.14 | IND | 74 | 67 | 34.1 | 48.0% | 0.0% | 74.0% | #92 | 111.4 |
| 1985–86 | 19.9 | 9.1 | 2.2 | +1.77 | IND | 78 | 74 | 35.5 | 49.2% | 8.3% | 73.0% | #41 | 219.3 |
| 1984–85 | 18.3 | 8.5 | 3.4 | +0.17 | IND | 75 | 70 | 34.1 | 47.5% | 11.1% | 65.7% | #98 | 121.3 |
| 1983–84 | 14.9 | 8.0 | 3.1 | +0.66 | IND | 69 | 53 | 33.0 | 47.8% | 0.0% | 70.2% | #66 | 129.0 |
| 1982–83 | 16.9 | 7.5 | 3.4 | +1.62 | IND | 78 | 74 | 32.2 | 49.9% | 0.0% | 70.5% | #50 | 196.8 |
| 1981–82 | 11.5 | 7.4 | 1.7 | +1.77 | IND | 82 | 75 | 27.8 | 47.7% | 28.6% | 67.0% | #36 | 176.6 |
| Career | 10.8 | 5.9 | 1.7 | — | DAL/IND/NYK/TOR | 1102 | — | 25.8 | 46.7% | 9.5% | 69.6% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
62.2 composite · lower is better
57.0 average league finish
795 total value
Career standing
How Herb Williams ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score62.2
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 265.0
- Qualified seasons
- 15
- All-time rank
- #577
Strongest seasons
Every season
Herb Williams advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1998–99Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 40 | 6 | 34 | -10.69 | — | — | -5.4 | — | Limited |
| 1997–98Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 39 | 27 | 178 | -6.84 | — | — | -15.8 | — | Limited |
| 1996–97Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 38 | 21 | 184 | -6.18 | — | — | -14.5 | — | Limited |
| 1995–96Historical Defense Estimate | NYK/TOR | 37 | 44 | 571 | -3.29 | 17.5 | #269 | -13.9 | 23rd | Standard |
| 1994–95Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 36 | 56 | 743 | -3.80 | 10.7 | #277 | -25.5 | 17th | Standard |
| 1993–94Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 35 | 70 | 774 | -2.78 | 15.8 | #246 | -11.7 | 18th | Standard |
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 34 | 55 | 571 | -2.07 | 29.8 | #208 | -0.8 | 31st | Standard |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 33 | 75 | 2,040 | -2.28 | 24.2 | #220 | -11.3 | 21st | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 32 | 60 | 1,832 | -1.82 | 30.9 | #202 | 6.3 | 31st | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 31 | 81 | 2,199 | -2.25 | 27.9 | #208 | -11.0 | 25th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | DAL/IND | 30 | 76 | 2,470 | -2.79 | 20.5 | #210 | -40.1 | 10th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 29 | 75 | 1,966 | -2.39 | 21.6 | #197 | -15.5 | 19th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 28 | 74 | 2,526 | +0.14 | 64.5 | #92 | 111.4 | 71st | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 27 | 78 | 2,770 | +1.77 | 84.3 | #41 | 219.3 | 91st | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 26 | 75 | 2,557 | +0.17 | 61.7 | #98 | 121.3 | 74th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 25 | 69 | 2,279 | +0.66 | 73.8 | #66 | 129.0 | 75th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 24 | 78 | 2,513 | +1.62 | 80.6 | #50 | 196.8 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | IND | 23 | 82 | 2,277 | +1.77 | 86.2 | #36 | 176.6 | 85th | Broad |
Career movement
Herb Williams's career impact by season
Peak +1.77 in 1981–82 · 18 seasons · 28,484 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Herb WilliamsTyson Chandler
| NBA season | Herb Williams | Tyson Chandler |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.8 | -1.8 |
| 2 | 1.6 | -0.7 |
| 3 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| 4 | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| 5 | 1.8 | -0.7 |
| 6 | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| 7 | -2.4 | 0.4 |
| 8 | -2.8 | -2.4 |
| 9 | -2.3 | -2.2 |
| 10 | -1.8 | 1.0 |
| 11 | -2.3 | 2.0 |
| 12 | -2.1 | 1.0 |
| 13 | -2.8 | 0.5 |
| 14 | -3.8 | 2.1 |
| 15 | -3.3 | -0.8 |
| 16 | -6.2 | -0.2 |
| 17 | -6.8 | -1.2 |
| 18 | -10.7 | -1.9 |
| 19 | Did not play | -4.8 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Herb Williams
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
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97/100 closest-season score · 1981–82 ↔ 2004–05PF · All-Time Career #561Otis Thorpe
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88/100 closest-season score · 1981–82 ↔ 1986–87PF · All-Time Career #531Buck Williams
89career similarity score
88/100 closest-season score · 1981–82 ↔ 1981–82Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →