Magic co-founder Pat Williams, who helped bring team to Orlando, dies at 84

FILE - Orlando Magic President and General manager Pat Williams grins while holding up a jersey bearing the name O'Neal and the number 1, at the NBA draft lottery in Secaucus, N.J. May 17, 1992. Williams, a co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than a half-century working within the NBA, died Wednesday, July 17, 2024, from complications related to viral pneumonia, the team announced.

FILE - Orlando Magic President and General manager Pat Williams grins while holding up a jersey bearing the name O'Neal and the number 1, at the NBA draft lottery in Secaucus, N.J. May 17, 1992. Williams, a co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than a half-century working within the NBA, died Wednesday, July 17, 2024, from complications related to viral pneumonia, the team announced. (AP photo/Bill Kostroun, File)


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Pat Williams, a co-founder of the Orlando Magic and someone who spent more than a half-century working within the NBA, has died from complications related to viral pneumonia. The team announced the death Wednesday. Williams was 84. He started his NBA career as business manager of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968, then had stints as general manager of the Chicago Bulls, the Atlanta Hawks and the 76ers — helping that franchise win a title in 1983. Williams was later involved in starting the process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando. The league's board of governors granted an expansion franchise in 1987, and the team began play in 1989.

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