1 year, $3 million! Lakers officially sign Ziaire Williams, will wear No. 11 to assist Doncic in the new season

On July 20, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Lakers officially announced the signing of forward Ziaire Williams. Williams will wear the purple and gold No. 11 jersey for the Lakers in the new season, playing alongside Doncic. The Lakers' No. 11 last season belonged to Hayes. Per previous reports, Williams' contract is a one-year, $3 million minimum deal.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Williams played 56 games for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2025-26 season, starting in 13 of them. He averaged a career-high 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals in 22.9 minutes per game, shooting 42.5% from the field, 34.3% from three-point range, and 85.0% from the free-throw line.

The Lancaster, California native recorded 31 games with double-digit scoring, ranking second among Nets bench players in scoring. From February 27 to April 3, he recorded at least one steal in 16 consecutive games, setting the longest such streak for the Nets in seven years.

Over the past four seasons, Williams' scoring average has steadily increased year by year. In his five NBA seasons, he has played 269 regular-season games (108 starts) for the Memphis Grizzlies (2021-24) and the Nets (2024-26). At 24 years old, his career averages are 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes per game. He has also appeared in 14 playoff games (one start), helping the Grizzlies reach the Western Conference Semifinals in 2022.

Williams was originally selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, but his draft rights were traded to the Grizzlies. In college, he played one season (2020-21) for Stanford University, appearing in 20 games (14 starts) and averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, earning an honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Williams was a five-star high school recruit in the class of 2020. He attended Sierra Canyon High School, where he earned McDonald's All-American honors and was a teammate of current Lakers player Bronny James.