Will Solomon: From NBA Guard To European Basketball Star
Discover the basketball journey of Will Solomon, from his time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors to winning championships in Europe. Explore his full career story here.
Jul 24, 2025623 Shares155.7K Views
Will Solomonwas born on July 20, 1978, in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended East Hartford High School, where he became known as one of the top players in school history. He scored more than 1,000 points, earned all‑state and all‑conference honors, and remains the only player from his school to be drafted into the NBA.
In his senior year, Solomon averaged 26.4 points per game and also contributed about 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game. He led his team to a 19–6 record, cementing his reputation as a top scorer in his region. He then chose to play college basketball at Clemson University and signed his letter of intent in 1998. At 6 ft 1 in tall, he joined Clemson’s program as a guard who could score from outside and drive to the hoop.
Amateur Career
Will Solomon played for Clemson University from 1998 through 2001. As a freshman, he averaged about 6.3 points per game and started 6 of 34 games—he showed early signs of a strong shooter with a standout 19‑point performance in his first start against Duke.
In his second year (sophomore, 1999‑2000), he emerged as one of the ACC’s top players. He led the conference in scoring with around 20.9 points per game, ranked 10th in assists (3.1), and was fourth in three‑point percentage (.372). He scored a school-record 43 points vs. Virginia and was named first‑team All‑ACC.
As a junior in 2000–01, he averaged about 19.7 points per game, was second‑team All‑ACC, and led Clemson to a key upset win over number‑one UNC with a 26‑point effort. That season capped 52 straight games scoring in double figures—an all-time Clemson record.
Across his college career, Solomon averaged around 15.2 points per game and broke or tied at least 15 school records, such as most consecutive double‑figure scoring games and total three‑pointers made in a season. He chose to enter the NBA Draft after his junior year and declared for the 2001 draft, finishing as one of Clemson’s most decorated and statistically elite guards of his era.
Professional Career
Will Solomon was selected in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies (pick number 32) and played his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies after the team relocated. He appeared in 62 games, averaging around 5.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in about 14.1 minutes before moving overseas.
After his NBA year, Solomon built a long and successful international career. He joined Aris Thessaloniki in Greece for the 2002–03 season and helped them win the FIBA Europe Champions Cup. He then signed with Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel for the 2003–04 season and captured the ULEB Cup title with them.
From 2004 to 2008, Solomon played in Turkey. He suited up for Efes Pilsen (2004–05), Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel (2005–06), and Fenerbahçe Ülker (2006–07 and 2007–08), winning league titles and becoming a standout guard in European competition.
Solomon returned to the NBA in the 2008–09 season, playing with both the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings. That year, he appeared in 39 games for Toronto and 14 for Sacramento, maintaining a scoring average around 5 points per game.
In total, he played 115 NBA games, starting 13, and averaged 5.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game across his NBA career.
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