Doug Christie on playing with Jason Williams: "Jason is Houdini with the ball, and that rubs off on everybody else in the locker room"

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Jason Williams was known as one of the most exciting point guards during his time in the league. White Chocolate was a walking highlight reel with his fancy passes and flashy handles.

However, the criticism of his game was that while he was fun to watch, but was also turnover-prone and tried to overdo a lot of simple plays. Three seasons into his NBA career, Williams' Sacramento Kings teammate Doug Christie defended the flashy point guard from his critics.

"It's not so much that Jason makes hotdog plays as he tries to make the right play," said Christie via SLAM. "If you can fake a guy out by going around the back, then that's what you do. Jason is a Houdini with the ball, and that rubs off on everybody else in the locker room."

Williams turned the Kings into contenders

J-Will was drafted 7th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 1998 NBA Draft, and the young point guard immediately made an impact. The Kings posted their first .500-win season in 15 years and made the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Sac Town would make three straight playoff appearances with him at the helm. In 2001, the Kings went 55-27 and matched the winningest regular season in franchise history. Sacramento won its first playoff series since 1981 by defeating the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

Although Sacramento was swept by the defending champions, the Lakers, in round two, the young point guard had clearly transformed the Kings into not just a must-watch team but also serious contenders.

Exciting times in Sactown

All-Star forward Chris Webber, who arrived in the California capital the year Williams was drafted, flourished while playing with the young point guard. Decades after their time together, C-Webb talked about the White Chocolate experience.

"What he brought to Sacramento was exciting times. He and I on the fast break—I never had a guard I trusted to push it up like that, a guard that could read and get everybody involved like J-Will," Webber said. "The best part about J-Will was that it was a track meet. Guys were trying to knock each other out of the way because whoever was open and by the basket was going to touch the ball."

Perhaps the best part about Jason Williams was that all the flair wasn't for the show. Everything was second nature to him because that was how he always played the game. As Christie said, he was a magician with a basketball.