#12 KJ Williams Season 2024-25
All-SEC Second Team (LSU), 2023
All-Tournament, Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, 2023
All-OVC First Team (Murray State), 2021, 2022
OVC Player of the Year (Murray State), 2022
NABC All-District 18 (Murray State), 2021, 2022
USBWA All-District 4 (Murray State), 2022
Lou Henson All-America Team (Murray State), 2022
One season at LSU in which he became the 123rd player in college basketball history and the eighth to have played at least a year at a Southeastern Conference school to score 2,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds.
SUPER SENIOR SEASON – LSU (2022-23)
Finished the season with a 17.7 points per game scoring average with 7.7 rebounds a contest … Started all 33 games and averaged 32.8 minutes a game, most of his career … Finished his career with 2,250 career points and 1,142 rebounds (14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) … Recorded his 1,000th career rebound late in the first half against Texas A&M (1/7) … Recorded his 2,000th career point on a three-pointer with 17:40 to play against Tennessee (1/21) … His 583 points and 254 rebounds in his one season at LSU made him the seventh LSU player since 1978-79 to score at least 575 points and grab 250 rebounds in a season … Nine double doubles on the year to give him 36 for his career … 29 games in double figures, 113 games for his career … 140 career threes … 157 games played, 123 starts (including every game in his last three seasons) … Scored 35 versus Wake Forest (12/10), hitting 7-of-9 three-pointers and 14-of-21 overall field goals; and, 35 versus Vanderbilt (2/22), hitting 13-of-25 field goals, including 5-of-10 three-pointers … 33 vs. Illinois State (13-19 FGs) … Nine games of 20 points or more … Five games of 20 points-10 rebounds on the season … Shot 49 percent for the year (215-439) with 58 three-pointers (58-141, 41.1% … For his career 891 made field goals (54.7%) with 140 three-pointers … Finished second in the SEC scoring and in the top 10 in both rebounds and field goal percentage.
SENIOR SEASON – MURRAY STATE (2021-22)
Started all 34 games for the Racers … Averaged 18.0 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and shot 53.8 percent from the field (245-of-455) … Led the OVC in scoring … Second in the OVC in rebound average and sixth in field goal percentage …. Averaged 5.68 defensive rebounds and 2.71 offensive rebounds … Top 50 in NCAA stats in rebounds average and field goal percentage … Named OVC Player of the Week five times and Oscar Robertson National POW twice … Career high scoring game at Tennessee State of 39 points (2/10) … 30 points against Belmont (2/25) on 12-of-19 from the field and 4-of-4 from the arc … Four times 16 rebounds during the season … 11 double doubles, 27 for his career … 88 career starts, including last 57 games of his time at Murray State … His 613 points in 2021-22 was the best for a Racer since Ja Morant set the single season program record of 808 points in 2019 … His 285 rebounds was the best at MSU since Jarvis Williams grabbed 293 in the 2015 season … Finished his time at Murray State with 1,667 points, 888 rebounds, 676 field goals, .568 field goal percentage, 76 blocks, 127 steals … Seventh all-time in rebounds at MSU … Just the third Racer to score 1,600 points and grab 800 rebounds, joining Popeye Jones and Isaac Spencer … 84 career games in double figures.
JUNIOR SEASON – MURRAY STATE (2020-21)
Started all 26 games, averaging 15.6 points per game (6th, OVC), grabbed 8.5 rebounds (3rd OVC) and made 56.7 percent from the field (164-of-289), 9th OVC … 21 games in double figures … High games of 26 points, 11 rebounds vs. Southeast Missouri (2/1) and 28 points, 14 rebounds vs. SIUE (2/15) … Seven double doubles … 16 rebounds twice: vs. Tennessee State (1/28), Belmont (1/30).
SOPHOMORE SEASON – MURRAY STATE (2019-20)
Averaged 13.7 points and hauled in 7.4 rebounds per game (7th OVC) … High of 23 points against Weber State (11/26), hitting 11-of-15 from the field … Seven double doubles, including late season back-to-back games with Eastern Kentucky (2/27) and APSU (2/29) to win the OVC title. In the two games, Williams scored a combined 35 points with 25 rebounds … 24 games scoring in double figures, with four of 20 or more points … Helped the Racers to a national rank of 12 in defensive rebounding and a ranking of 17 in rebound margin, both the best in the OVC … In first two seasons, made 267-of-446 field goal attempts (59.9 percent).
FRESHMAN SEASON – MURRAY STATE (2018-19)
Had 22 starts in 32 games in his first season with 10 games in double figures scoring and four in rebounds with two double doubles … Against Eastern Kentucky (1/5) had 13 points and 13 rebounds and 14-16 against Eastern Illinois (1/17) … Had a season-high points of 16 against Marquette (3/21) in the NCAA Tournament going 8-of-10 from the field … Set the MSU single-season field goal percentage record by hitting 111-of-159 at 69.8 percent. The previous mark was set at 68.9 percent in the 2008 season.
PRIOR TO MURRAY STATE, LSU
Attended Cleveland Central High School in Cleveland, Mississippi … Had a tremendous 2017-18 season for the Wolves, averaging 21 points per game and 11 rebounds per game … Helped his team to a record of 23-9 and advanced to the second round of the Mississippi State Tournament … Had 16 double doubles, including a 27 points/28 rebound effort against West Tallahatchie … Had a triple-double against Indianola Gentry with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots … Mississippi All-State Third Team and named to the Clarion Ledger’s Dandy Dozen as one of the top 12 prep players in the state … Played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game … Named the Bolivar Commercial Player of the Year in 2017 … High school basketball coach was Bernard Berryhill … Played quarterback and wide receiver in football, leading Cleveland Central to a 12-1 record in 2017 when he threw for more than 2,400 yards with 21 TDs … Also pitched and played first base in high school as well … Former LSU player Johnny O’Bryant III also prepped at Cleveland Central
PERSONAL
Birthdate is Sept. 3, 1999 … Parents are Amie Williams (mom), Marcus Smith (dad), Ellide Smith (stepmom) … Four siblings: Jeremy Boddie, Antwan Thomas III, Austin Smith, Madison Smith … Mother Amie played basketball at Jackson State … Major is Integrated Studies and Exercise Science … On what influenced him to come to LSU, “hometown favorite Johnny O’Bryant III played here and coaching staff from Murray State is here … The relationship with them is one of the most genuine” … To relax enjoys video games, listening to music and working on his game … Favorite food is chicken tenders and favorite dessert is beignets … Favorite pro basketball player is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, which is his favorite NBA team.
Single Game Highs (Murray State, LSU)
Points – 39 – at Tennessee State, 2/10/22
Rebounds – 16, five times
Assists – 4, twice
Steals – 4, six times
Blocks – 3, seven times
FG Made – 15, at Tennessee State, 2/10/22
FG Attempts – 25, vs. Vanderbilt, 2/22/23
3 FG Made – 7, vs. Wake Forest, 12/10/22
3 FG Attempts – 10, vs. Vanderbilt, 2/22/23
FT Made – 9, vs. UT-Martin, 1/22/22
FT Attempts – 13, vs. UT Martin, 1/22/22
Top Scoring Games (Murray State, LSU)
1. 39 – at Tennessee State, 2/10/22
2. 35 – vs. Vanderbilt, 2/22/23
2. 35 – vs. Wake Forest, 12/10/22
4. 33 – vs. Illinois State, 11/21/22
4. 33 — vs. UT Martin, 1/22/22
6. 32 – vs. Cumberland, 11/9/21
7. 30 – vs. Belmont, 2/24/22
8. 29 – at Ole Miss, 2/25/23
8. 29 – vs. Southeast Missouri State, 3/4/22
8.. 29 – vs. Long Beach, 11/23/21
7. 28 – at SIUE, 2/15/22
8. 26 – at Southeast Missouri State, 2/1/21
9. 25 – vs. Austin Peavy, 2/17/22
9. 25 – vs. Tennessee State, 1/28/21