Kavell Chevano Bigby-Williams (born 7 October 1995) is a British professional basketball player for the Astros de Jalisco of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA). He was named NABC NJCAA Player of the Year as a sophomore at Gillette College in 2016, before playing college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and the LSU Tigers.
![]() Bigby-Williams in November 2019 | |
No. 11 – Astros de Jalisco | |
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Position | Power forward / center |
League | CIBACOPA |
Personal information | |
Born | London, England | 7 October 1995
Nationality | British |
Listed height | 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) |
Listed weight | 113 kg (249 lb) |
Career information | |
High school | Harris Academy Beckenham (Beckenham, England) |
College | |
NBA draft | 2019: undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–2020 | Erie BayHawks |
2020 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
2020 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
2020–2021 | Cantù |
2021 | Antwerp Giants |
2021–2022 | Anwil Włocławek |
2022 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
2022 | Indios de San Francisco |
2022–2023 | Boulazac |
2023 | Héroes de Falcón |
2023 | Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers |
2024–present | Astros de Jalisco |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life
editBigby-Williams grew up playing soccer in East London. He was a 6'6 goalkeeper at the age of 15 when he broke his leg. After recovering from his injury, he turned his attention to basketball and quickly mastered the fundamentals. As a senior at Harris Academy Beckenham, he averaged 20.7 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6 blocks per game.[1] He committed to play college basketball at Montana State but failed to qualify academically, so he instead ended up at Gillette College in Wyoming.[2]
College career
editAs a freshman, Bigby-Williams averaged 10.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.[3] As a sophomore at Gillette, Bigby-Williams averaged 16.8 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game. He was named NABC NJCAA Player of the Year.[1] Bigby-Williams was the top-ranked junior college prospect and signed with Oregon in April 2016.[4]
As a junior, Bigby-Williams averaged 3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[1] He received more playing time after Chris Boucher was injured in the Pac-12 Tournament.[2] In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game to help Oregon reach the Final Four. Following the season, he opted to transfer to LSU. After posting 14 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and a steal in a 83-69 victory at Ole Miss, followed by 12 points and 11 rebounds in an 89-67 win against South Carolina, Bigby-Williams was named SEC player of the week on 21 January 2019.[5] As a senior, he averaged 7.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.[6]
Professional career
editNBA G League
editAfter going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Bigby-Williams was signed by the Charlotte Hornets but quickly released, instead joining the New Orleans Pelicans.[7] Bigby-Williams was signed by the Pelicans on 6 August 2019 to an Exhibit 10 contract.[8] After playing in one preseason game, he was waived on 19 October.[9] He joined their affiliate in the NBA G League, the Erie BayHawks. On 10 January 2020, Bigby-Williams missed a game with an undisclosed injury.[10] He posted 18 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks, one assist and one steal in a loss to the Iowa Wolves on 23 January.[11] Bigby-Williams averaged 8.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 25 games.
On 4 February, he was traded to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in exchange for Raphiael Putney.[12] On 27 February, Bigby-Williams was traded to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in exchange for a 2020 2nd round pick and the rights of Isaiah Hartenstein.[13]
Europe
editOn 14 December 2020, he signed with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.[14] On 11 March 2021, Bigby-Williams left Cantù[15] and moved to Belgium in the Pro Basketball League, signing with the Antwerp Giants.[16] On 19 August 2021, he signed with Anwil Włocławek of the Polish Basketball League.[17]
Return to the G League
editOn 1 February 2022, Bigby-Williams was re-acquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League through his returning player rights.[18]
Astros de Jalisco
editBigby-Williams joined the Astros de Jalisco of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA) in Mexico ahead of the 2024 CIBACOPA season, arriving in time to participate in the preseason Copa Salsa Huichol.[19] He earned league All-Star honors.[20]
National team career
editBigby-Williams represented Great Britain in its Under-20 and Under-18 teams, averaging 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game between the two squads.[1] He represented the senior national team at EuroBasket 2022.[citation needed]
Personal life
editBorn in England, Bigby-Williams is of Jamaican and Dominica descent. He is a cousin of the British-Canadian boxer Lennox Lewis.[21]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Higgins, Ron (19 March 2019). "Tigers look to Bigby-Williams for his NCAA tournament experience". Rivals.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ a b Peter, Josh (18 March 2017). "Britain's Kavell Bigby-Williams made stunning ascent to Oregon's lineup". USA Today. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Mickles, Sheldon (19 August 2017). "LSU basketball gets transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams, who will be eligible in 2018-19 season". The Advocate. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Fentress, Aaron (14 April 2016). "Oregon basketball hits jackpot with Bigby-Williams, Final Four expectations increase". NBC Sports. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Mickles, Sheldon (21 January 2019). "Coming up big: LSU senior forward Kavell Bigby-Williams is chosen SEC player of the week". The Advocate. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Askounis, John (7 August 2019). "British Bigby-Williams signs with Pelicans". EuroHoops. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Walker, Rod (7 July 2019). "Two games into NBA Summer League, LSU's Kavell Bigby-Williams providing Pelicans with jolt of energy". The Advocate. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Prather, Scott (6 August 2019). "Pelicans Sign LSU Alum Kavell Bigby-Williams To ExhibiPelicans Sign LSU Alum Kavell Bigby-Williams". ESPN. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Kavell Bigby-Williams: Let go by Pelicans". CBS Sports. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Kavell Bigby-Williams: Misses Friday's game". CBS Sports. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Kavell Bigby-Williams: Logs double-double off bench". CBS Sports. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Kavell Bigby-Williams: Dealt to Sioux Falls". CBS Sports. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Mad Ants acquire Kavell Bigby-Williams from Sioux Falls". NBA.com. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "Cantù signs Kavell Bigby-Williams". Sportando. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "COMUNICATO STAMPA: KAVELL BIGBY-WILLIAMS" (in Italian). pallacanestrocantu.com. 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Nieuwe center voor Telenet Giants Antwerp" (in Dutch). antwerpgiants.be. 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Anwil announces Kavell Bigby-Williams". Sportando. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "NBA G League Transactions".
- ^ Grave, Alexei (22 February 2024). "Frayles son superados por Astros con una pizarra holgada". Debate.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Arrieta, Oscar (12 April 2024). "¡Todo listo! Estos son los jugadores que participarán en el Juego de Estrellas Cibacopa 2024". Línea Directa Portal (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Kavell Bigby-Williams". LSU Tigers. 8 July 2019.