Philippine Pro Basketball Player with ITP returns to action

For Kelly Williams, the 2007 Philippine Professional Basketball (PBA) MVP, the road back to the court has been a long one.  Williams spent the past seven months in the US (he is originally from Detroit, MI) due to his rare blood disorder – idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura or ITP.

“It feels good to be out here with the guys. I’ve watched these guys on live streaming from the US for seven months and it’s been really tough on me,” Williams told the Cebu Daily News.

In his first game back, yesterday, Williams scored 10 points and provided some much needed defensive energy in his team, the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters’ victory over the Meralco Bolts, 89-80.

A 2004 graduate from Oakland University (Rochester, MI), Williams has averaged nearly 13 points per game over the course of his professional career – though that scoring had dropped significantly in recent seasons.  While its great to be back, he readily admits that he is not operating at 100 percent just yet, ““I’m getting there. I feel like I’m at 70 percent where I want to be but it felt good out there today and it’s just going to get better.”

All too often, individuals with bleeding disorders are told that they cannot/should not participate in athletic activities.  Kelly Williams is proof that not only can it be done, but with the right attention to your condition (and we assume working closely with a medical team) it can be done…and at a very high level to boot.

Webleed.org wishes Kelly Williams and his team the best as they try to win their fourth straight All-Filipino crown.

Photo Credit: KC Cruz