Deron Williams Has Jersey Retired by Turkish Team Besiktas After 12 Games

Deron Williams only played 12 games for Turkish team Besiktas, but that was enough for the franchise to retire his jersey.

Williams was the first NBA star to sign with a foreign team during the lockout, and he’s returning to the U.S. now that the labor dispute seems to have ended. Williams’ first two games with Besiktas came in the Eurocup where he did not play too well. As he grew more comfortable with the team, he became its assist leader and one of its top scorers.

D-Will averaged 19.7 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 54.9% in seven Turkish league games. His EuroChallenge numbers were spectacular — 33.7 points on 62.5% shooting in three games. His average was boosted by a 50-point game. The special performance probably was enough to convince the team to retire his jersey Tuesday. Here is a video of the ceremony:

All stats via EuroBasket.com, HT Tracking SI