Magic to honor Pat Williams with uniform patch

ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic will honor their late co-founder, Hall of Famer, and sports legend Pat Williams with a patch on their uniforms that they will wear during the 2024-25 season. Williams passed away on July 17 at the age of 84.
All of Orlando’s jerseys will feature a black stripe along the top of the left side with the initials “PW” in white.
Williams’ career spanned more than 56 years, including 30-plus years with the Orlando Magic and 51 years in the NBA.
More than 35 years ago, it was Williams who turned a dream into the Orlando Magic. Williams, along with local businessman Jimmy Hewitt, began the process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando in 1986. On April 22, 1987, the NBA Board of Governors granted an expansion franchise to Orlando, and on December 22, 1988, the Magic sold their 10,000th season ticket, thus fulfilling their commitment to the NBA and the Magic were born.
Williams spent well over four decades in the NBA, starting his basketball career with the Philadelphia 76ers as the club’s business manager in 1968. He followed that with his first general manager role in the NBA joining the Chicago Bulls as their GM at the tender age of 29. He remained a general manager in the league for 27 years in stints with the Bulls, Hawks and Sixers, playing a major role in bringing the NBA title to Philadelphia in 1983. Williams served as the Magic’s GM until 1996 when he was promoted to his post of senior vice president.
Williams’ first love was baseball, the sport that earned him a scholarship to Wake Forest University. While at Wake Forest, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He was a three-year letterman as a catcher on the Demon Deacons baseball team and is a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. He later went on to earn a master’s of science degree in physical education from Indiana University in 1964.
Williams’ baseball career began when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 and spent two seasons catching for the Miami Marlins, a Class A club in the Florida State League. He quickly moved from the playing field to the front office, when he was appointed business manager of Miami in 1964. He took the general manager job with the Spartanburg (S.C.) Phillies in 1965 and was later elevated to the position of president of the organization in 1967.
In 1967, he was chosen the Minor League Executive of the Year by The Sporting News. Williams remains active in baseball as a catcher in Dream Week games in Florida during the winter. He was also the president of Orlando’s Double-A Southern League team from 1990-1993.
Williams was born in Philadelphia on May 3, 1940, and was raised in nearby Wilmington, Del., where he attended Tower Hill School. He was voted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Williams was diagnosed in February 2011 with multiple myeloma. He accepted positions on several boards for different cancer groups throughout the country, including an appointment on the Board of Directors for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Williams was the author of over 100 books. An avid runner, Williams completed 58 marathons from 1996-2011, including the Boston Marathon 13 times.
Williams was honored with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was named to the Magic’s Hall of Fame as a member of its inaugural class in 2014.
Williams is survived by his wife Ruth and their 19 children, 14 of whom are adopted from four foreign countries.