The 6-foot-8 guard confirmed the decision Tuesday, telling On3 he is staying in Lexington for a second year under head coach Mark Pope. The news was first reported by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Williams transferred to Kentucky from Tulane last offseason and was Pope’s first portal commitment. He appeared in 24 games with seven starts during the 2024-25 season, averaging 6.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 18.5 minutes per game. He shot 44.9% from the field and 35.9% from three.
His breakout performance came Dec. 23 in a 99-85 win over Bellarmine when he scored a career-high 26 points on 8-of-10 shooting, with all eight field goals coming from three-point range. It was only the 13th time a Kentucky player made eight or more threes in a single game. He also had 14 points in a Jan. 10 win over Mississippi State and 11 points in a victory over No. 22 St. John’s on Dec. 20.
Williams moved into the starting lineup Jan. 14 at LSU and started until he broke his foot in the second half of the Jan. 21 win over Texas. He returned for Kentucky’s SEC Tournament opener vs LSU on March 11 and played in all five postseason games, though his minutes were limited. His best outing after returning was five points in the season-ending loss to Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Williams said after the season that he never gave up during rehab and credited his teammates, coaches, and trainers for keeping his confidence up. His father told media Kam wanted to be back in Lexington but they were making sure the role and deal made sense.
With Williams back, Kentucky returns a projected starter on the wing. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
