Michael Carter-Williams, the 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year, came out swinging in his boxing debut. Carter-Williams, 33, defeated Sam Khatibvia unanimous decision in a three-round heavyweight contest at the Broad Street Brawl in New York on Thursday, which marked the first amateur boxing match of his career. In a recent interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show,"Carter-Williams saidstepping in the boxing ring helps him "scratch that itch" for competition since retiring from professional basketball in October 2024. He last played for theOrlando Magicin the 2022-23 NBA season, when he averaged 4.3 points in only four appearances. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uprising Promotions (@uprisingnyc) "I've been competing my whole life, and that's something I want to do. I want to continue to compete," Carter-Williams said. "I respect the sport (of boxing). I'm a big fan. I watch a lot. I've got a lot of friends that fight." Carter-Williams was drafted out of Syracuse by thePhiladelphia 76erswith the 11th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was named the 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds in 70 games (all starts) with the76ers. He went on to play nine years in the NBA for six different teams, including the 76ers (2013–2015),Milwaukee Bucks(2015–2016),Chicago Bulls(2016–2017),Charlotte Hornets(2017–2018),Houston Rockets(2018–2019) and the Magic (2019–2023). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uprising Promotions (@uprisingnyc) The 6-foot-5 athlete said he's taking his new boxing career "one step at a time." "I don't know where it's going to take me or where it's going to lead me,"Carter-Williams saidon May 12 ahead of his Thursday debut. "I know that there's an avenue for people who played professional sports, who enter the boxing ring. There's a lane there. I don't know, I'm kind of taking it one step at a time. It's one of those things I definitely want to keep getting better at." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Michael Carter-Williams: 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year wins boxing debut
