Will Perdue

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Will Perdue

| image =

| width =

| caption =

| height_ft = 7

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 240

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|8|29}}

| birth_place = Melbourne, Florida, U.S.

| high_school = Merritt Island
(Merritt Island, Florida)

| college = Vanderbilt (1983–1988)

| draft_year = 1988

| draft_round = 1

| draft_pick = 11

| draft_team = Chicago Bulls

| career_position = Center

| career_number = 32, 41, 55

| career_start = 1988

| career_end = 2001

| years1 = {{nbay|1988|start}}–{{nbay|1994|end}}

| team1 = Chicago Bulls

| years2 = {{nbay|1995|start}}–{{nbay|1998|end}}

| team2 = San Antonio Spurs

| years3 = {{nbay|1999|full=y}}

| team3 = Chicago Bulls

| years4 = {{nbay|2000|full=y}}

| team4 = Portland Trail Blazers

| highlights =

4× NBA champion ({{nbafy|1991}}–{{nbafy|1993}}, {{nbafy|1999}})
Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (1988)
SEC Player of the Year (1988)
SEC Athlete of the Year (1988)

| stats_league = NBA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 3,740 (4.7 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 3,918 (4.9 rpg)

| stat3label = Blocks

| stat3value = 527 (0.7 bpg)

}}

William Edward Perdue III (born August 29, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a member of four NBA championship teams, three with the Chicago Bulls (1991–1993) and one with the San Antonio Spurs (1999). Perdue was a Studio analyst for NBC Sports Chicago during their pre-game and post-game Chicago Bulls broadcasts until the channel's closure in 2024.

Biography

Perdue attended Merritt Island High School in Merritt Island, Florida{{cite web | title=Will Perdue Stats | website=Basketball-Reference.com | date=2021-09-02 | url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perduwi01.html | access-date=2021-09-20}}

= College =

He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores, where he was named a third-team All-American and named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and SEC Male Athlete of the Year in 1988."[http://www.secsports.com/doc_lib/bkc_03legends.pdf SEC honors basketball legends at SEC Tournament]". secsports.com. February 12, 2003. Retrieved on April 21, 2009.

= Professional career =

He was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 11th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. The Bulls won three championships from 1991 to 1993 during Perdue's career. Perdue was mainly a backup to center Bill Cartwright. He became a regular starter during the 1994–95 NBA season, during which he averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

The emergence of Luc Longley made him expendable, and before the next season's training camp, the Bulls traded him to the San Antonio Spurs for Dennis Rodman.Alex Sachare. The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia. Contemporary Books, 1999. 246-7. The Spurs won the NBA championship in 1999, Perdue's fourth.[http://www.nba.com/playerfile/will_perdue/bio.html Will Perdue bio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212230637/http://www.nba.com/playerfile/will_perdue/bio.html |date=February 12, 2009 }}. NBA.com. Retrieved on April 21, 2009.

In August 1999, Perdue rejoined the Bulls as a free agent. He started 15 of 67 games for them in 1999–2000, averaging 2.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. After the 1999–2000 season, Perdue left Chicago and signed with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he averaged 1.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 4.5 minutes in 13 games. He averaged 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game over a thirteen-year career.[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perduwi01.html Will Perdue statistics]. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on April 21, 2009.