Following his second year in the league, Deron was approached by USA Basketball to be a member of Team USA for the FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament that summer.

It was no surprise that Deron was high on Team USA's list, after all, he was a member of the USA Basketball feeder program going back to his days at Illinois.

Team USA was scuffling at the time, having just finished third at both the 2004 Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championships, so USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo began assembling a new Dream Team and made sure Deron was a part of the plan.

"Deron Williams is a big part of USA Basketball's future," Colangelo said. "I'm a big Williams fan.  I think he's a terrific player, and a great understudy with Jason Kidd."

D-Will, Kidd and Chauncey Billups were the team's three point guards for FIBA Americas. The roster also included NBA stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony.

Team USA easily rolled through the FIBA Americas in 2007, winning each of their 10 games by at least 15 points. Deron ranked second on the team in assists per game with 4.6. His best game came against Uruguay, when he scored 14 points and dished out a team-high six assists in a 118-79 USA win.

The following summer, after playing all 82 games with the Jazz and averaging 10.5 assists and 18.8 points per game to lead Utah back to the playoffs with a 54-win season, Deron once again went to camp with Team USA in Las Vegas. After competing with the best of the best that USA Basketball had to offer, D-Will was one of 12 men selected to represent the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Chris Paul replaced Billups on the 2008 team, giving Team USA one of the best point guard trios in history with Deron, Paul and Jason Kidd.

It wasn't as easy as the FIBA Americas, but with the help of their point guard trio, Team USA blazed through Olympic pool play with an average margin of victory of 28 points. Aptly named "The Redeem Team" they entered the quarterfinals as they heavy favorite to win Team USA's first gold since the 2000 Olympics.

Behind 10 points by D-Will, Team USA defeated Australia 116-85 in the quarterfinals. In the semis, they rolled to a 101-81 win over Argentina, setting up an Olympic final showdown with Spain. It was the toughest game they'd played in two years together, but Team USA pulled through with a 118-107 victory over Spain to capture the gold medal. It was a one of a kind moment for Deron.

"It's been a great experience for me, a lifetime experience. Something I'm going to cherish the rest of my life," he said. "It makes it so much sweeter now that I have the gold medal around my neck. I have stories to tell my kids. It's kind of surreal right now to think that I'm an Olympic champion."

D-Will finished the tournament with an average of eight points, 2.8 assists and just over 19 minutes per game. He said it was a special moment, standing on the Olympic podium, receiving his medal and hearing the National Anthem playing.

"[It's] No. 1 on my list. I don't have an NBA championship; I don't have a college championship. But even if I did I'd still think the same," he said. "This is for your country, it's not for your team it's for your whole country, for a whole nation of people back home supporting us. For our troops overseas fighting for us. This is for everybody."

Following his experience with Team USA, D-Will pushed right into the 2008-2009 season with the Jazz and put up the best numbers of his career to date. He averaged 19.4 points and 10.7 assists per game during the season and pushed Utah into the playoffs for a third straight season.

"With Deron, he's got the total package," Jason Kidd told DIME Magazine. "He plays on the offensive and defensive side. He loves to be involved in the big plays: Making the right pass, making the game-winner. He doesn't mind that stage, so he definitely is one of the best at what he does."

POINT OF HOPE

As Deron's on-court career was taking off, he was doing everything he could off the court to make sure that his stardom was being used to do good in the community.

"This is far more rewarding than just playing basketball," Amy said. "The best part of being who he is, is the impact and difference he can make." 

In 2007, Deron and Amy established The Point of Hope Foundation with a goal to help improve the quality of life for families and children. In that first year, Point of Hope hosted the inaugural Deron Williams Celebrity Golf Classic to aid the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Inaugural Point of Hope Christmas Dinner for single mothers in Salt Lake City and their children.

"It's a great cause, something that's close to me because my mom was a single mom," D-Will said. "And I knew how difficult it was around Christmastime for her to provide for me and my little brother and still help us have a good Christmas. That's what this is about." 

By 2008, the Celebrity Golf Classic was drawing in many of Deron's peers around the league and the Point of Hope Christmas Dinner was going strong. In addition, Point of Hope joined the Utah Jazz to provide more than 3,000 Thanksgiving meals for Salt Lake's homeless and low-income families.

D-Will also expanded his work beyond Salt Lake City by hosting the inaugural Deron Williams Illini Hoop Legends Charity Event in Chicago.

In 2009, while continuing the other events he had established, Deron teamed with Kyle Korver to establish the Dodge Barrage Tournament, a charity dodgeball tournament in Salt Lake City.

"It's just fun," Deron said. "I don't know why we picked dodgeball but it's something fun and be a little different. It's something that more people can afford and another way for us to raise money to help others in need. It's one of my favorite events."

Being an active member of the community is as important to Deron as any thing he does in his career on the basketball court. Through his myriad of Point of Hope events, D-Will is leaving a lasting impact on the community and providing a positive influence for those who consider him a role model.

"It's something I love to do. I love to give back to the community," he said. "These fans are always so supportive. Half of these kids are big fans of mine and fans of the Jazz, so it was good to…see the smile on their faces."