“Was my best basketball behind me?” This was the question Elizabeth Williams was asking herself in 2021, when she took the call to persist and believe in herself. She decided to play for the Washington Mystics for the 2022 WNBA season, leaving behind Atlanta, where she had made a name for herself in the first place.

Williams had a solid season for Washington, tying a career high with 13 defensive rebounds, recording a double-double, scoring in double figures in five games, and tallying at least one block in 13 contests, which tied for second-most on the team. She was then brought in by the Chicago Sky to inject some experience into their squad.

After a stellar 2023 season in which she started all 40 of their games, as well as both her team’s playoff outings, she averaged 9.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks, being one of the standout players on Sky’s roster. However, where is she from? And what kind of upbringing did she have? Keep reading to find out!

Where is Elizabeth Williams from, and what is her nationality?

Elizabeth was born in Colchester, England, on June 23, 1993, to Nigerian parents, Dr. Alex and Margaret Williams. They moved to Connecticut in the United States in 1996.

“I was still little then, so pretty much the only thing I remember about Connecticut was us living in a small apartment and my dad studying all the time. A few years later, when I was eight, he got a job at a hospital near Virginia Beach,” she told Players’ Tribune in 2022.

She holds two passports, one being Nigerian, where her roots lie, and one being American, where she spent the majority of her life. Going to Princess Anne High School in Virginia, her high school career was crowned with honors, as she even got to represent the nation for the American U16, U17, and U19 teams.

It was not long before Duke University, where her brother Mark also played college ball, recruited her.

What is Elizabeth Williams’ ethnicity?

Since Williams is of Nigerian descent and has spent most of her life in the US, she is African American. Williams has been active in standing up for her community. She even staked her career for her beliefs when she started a campaign to force Atlanta team owner Senator Kelly Loeffler to renege on her comments about the BLM movement. It led to Loeffler selling her stake in the team and bowing out.

Williams organized the Black players in the WNBA and rallied for her direct opponent, Reverend Raphael Warnock, who became the first black senator for Georgia, after Loeffler left her seat and the league. Warnock was earlier in the single digits, but Williams and the WNBA’s efforts rallied the public against Loeffler. Her efforts were commendable.

Is Elizabeth Williams Christian?

Elizabeth Williams has openly discussed the significant role of faith in her life. In a 2015 interview with the Atlanta Dream, she shared that faith was a substantial part of her upbringing and continues to help her maintain balance in her life. She also mentioned incorporating prayer into her pregame routine, saying a little prayer during the national anthem. While she has not explicitly stated her religious affiliation, these insights suggest that faith plays an important role in her personal and professional life.

Williams will be back on court after missing out on the majority of the 2024 season with that meniscus injury. The 31-year-old will hope that the injury doesn’t slow her down, and she is as quick and athletic as she was prior to the injury. The Sky will also get a veteran among their talented bunch of players.