Sports World Remembers Orlando Magic Co-Founder Pat Williams

ORLANDO — There would be no Orlando Magic without Pat Williams. There would be no Benny the Bull in Chicago, no Dr. J and Moses Malone in Philadelphia. There would be no Shaquille O'Neal or Penny Hardaway or Dwight Howard here without "the king of the (NBA Draft) lottery."

"Most teams have a trophy case full of trophies," Williams once told the Associated Press. "We have a case filled with ping pong balls."

Williams, who died Wednesday at age 84, was an Orlando icon. He was an NBA executive for 51 years, including 33 in Orlando, but there was so much more.

"Williams wrote more than 100 books and ran 58 marathons, including the Boston Marathon 13 times," the Washington Post wrote. "Diagnosed in February 2011 with multiple myeloma, Williams became an avid fundraiser for cancer research and sat on several boards for cancer groups throughout the country, including the Board of Directors for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation." He was father to 19 children, 14 of whom were adopted from four foreign countries.

Stories about Williams and praise for his achievements poured in from the sports world.