Jason Williams has still got game

Former Orlando Magic guard Jason Williams is a cult hero of the Internet. He showed up once again during a pro-am in Orlando, reminding us of his greatness.

Even at 39 years old, former Orlando Magic point guard Jason Williams has still got game.

If you need proof, look no further than his latest Pro-Am highlight reel:

Watching it will take you straight back to the late 1990s, when Williams was showing off his handles on a nightly basis for the Sacramento Kings. If you are not old enough to remember that, it might take you back to the early 2000s, when he was freestyling for the Memphis Grizzlies, or the mid-2000s, when he was winning a championship with the Miami Heat, or even the late-2000s, when he came out of retirement to play in Orlando.

At that point the Magic were one of the best teams in the NBA. Led by Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis, they had been to the Finals the year before only to lose in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers. In an attempt to ensure the Magic would not falter when they reached that stage again, then-general manager Otis Smith coaxed Williams back in to action by giving him the opportunity to play close to home.

Of the veteran point guard Smith said:

"“Jason provides depth and leadership to our backcourt. He is a veteran point guard that knows what it takes to help us reach our ultimate goal.”"

As the only player to have won a championship on the Orlando Magic’s 2010 roster, Williams was there for one thing and one thing only: to lead.

But those of you that remember his time in Orlando will also remember that he delivered so much more. In fact, a year away from the game seemed not to have slowed him down at all. Right from the get-go the former-Florida Gator reminded fans what they had been missing.

Sadly there are not as many highlight reels from this particular passage of his career as there are from others, but some of the most impressive things Williams did in Orlando can still be found on YouTube, with a little perseverance.

Take the sixth best play from February 2010 for instance:

This is vintage White Chocolate, as he runs the floor with Mickael Pietrus and Dwight Howard in tow, before using the former as a decoy in order to drop off a no-look pass that results in a wide open dunk for the latter.

Delve a little deeper and you will find the eight and fifth best plays from January 2010:

Here Williams finds an airborne Vince Carter with an inch-perfect alley oop and, perhaps even more impressive, a beautiful behind the back pass that results in an easy layup for Matt Barnes.

Go one further and you might just stumble upon one of the most impressive things Williams did in Orlando pinstripes:

This footage comes from April 2010, when the little Gator pulled off the spectacular against the Washington Wizards, scoring back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the third quarter after Matt Barnes had intercepted the inbounds pass.

Safe to say, Williams was a lot of fun to watch during his first year in Orlando, although he looked pretty good numerically too, as he appeared in all 82 games, starting 18, and averaged 6.0 points, 3.6 assists and 0.6 steals per game while playing 20.8 minutes per game.

He was a sparkplug coming off the bench and his flash and flair energised a team already brimming with confidence. He helped the Magic maintain their torrid pace after Jameer Nelson suffered a knee injury early in the season, doing more than just filling in for his 18 starts.

Of course, that confidence carried the Magic to a 59-23 regular season win total (good for second place in the Eastern Conference) and right into the postseason, where they saw off the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round and the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Semifinals, sweeping both.

Things were looking rosy, until Orlando came up against the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals that is.

Having defeated the Kevin Garnett-less Celtics the year prior, the Magic simply came unstuck against a healthy, determined Celtics side who won the first three games of the series to establish a lead that, despite losing games four and five, turned out to be insurmountable.

Dwight Howard struggled up against Kendrick Perkins, Vince Carter choked at the free throw line and collectively the team found it difficult to establish any momentum from beyond the arc. As for Williams the man with the championship experience, his final postseason experience can be summed up in a single play:

Unfortunately that turned out to be the point of no return for the Magic, as, down 17-36 with the momentum well and truly in Boston’s favor, Rondo’s dogged determination had all but ended the series.

Although there is no direct correlation, not long after, just 16 games into the 2011 regular season to be precise, Wthe Magic waived Williams after allegedly refusing to participate in a road trip. He did sign with the Memphis Grizzles not longer after, but made just 11 appearances for the Grizzlies before hanging them up for good, citing lower back soreness as his motivation.

Thankfully, four years into his second retirement, Jason Williams is remembered for all the right reasons and footage like that which surfaced this week only serves to fuel his status as a cult hero among NBA fans.

Although his time in Orlando was not quite as successful as we all hoped it would be he still left us with some pretty amazing memories. And, judging by those Pro-Am highlights, there are plenty more to come.

Next: Jameer Nelson finishes fifth in NBA teammate award voting