The documentary Hoop Dreams followed them through their recruitment by St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois.
During high school, he worked hard to improve his basketball skills and his academics to the best of his ability, but he initially struggled with a low reading level.
[citation needed] His brother, Curtis Gates, also seen in the film, was murdered on September 10, 2001, after being caught in a love triangle.
[1] After the end of his basketball career, Gates got a Bible degree at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and became pastor at Living Faith Community Center in Cabrini-Green, a position he held until July 2012, when his family moved to the San Antonio, Texas area.
[2] Gates' eldest son (William Gates Jr.) followed in his father's basketball footsteps, averaging 23.5 points a game his senior season at Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas, and receiving a full scholarship to Furman University in South Carolina.