Mention Grant Williams’ name to Miles Bridges, inquiring about what he’s added to the Charlotte Hornets since his arrival last month, and Bridges starts ticking off a list.
“He’s just been a leader,” Bridges said. “He’s been a great leader for us, high-IQ player. Brings a winning attitude. He’s been great. Been keeping the guys together — team dinners, off-the-court stuff. So he’s been great for us. He’s a great teammate.
“I know there’s been a lot of talk about him in the locker room in other places, but everybody who’s played with Grant knows he’s a great guy and a great teammate.”
Sounds a bit different than how Boston Celtics play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman described Williams, who posted 14 points and three rebounds off the bench in Saturday night’s 109-98 loss to Philadelphia at Wells Fargo Center, and took on an increased role in the second half when Brandon Miller got ejected for a flagrant-2 foul on 76ers star Tyrese Maxey late in the second quarter.
Gorman’s take on Williams this past week ignited a blazing social media trail, even leading to Celtics star and Duke product Jayson Tatum chiming in.
“He was annoying to everybody,” Gorman said during a radio interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. “I think initially everybody thought, ‘Oh, isn’t he kind of a wise ass, but he’s kind of cute, and he’s kind of funny.’ And then it just kind of wore thin, and it got thin quickly in Dallas, obviously. If you start to take on (Luka) Dončić, you’re not going to be around for long.”
Gorman didn’t stop there.
“So, yeah, he had some issues in that area that if he doesn’t get rid of — he’s not good enough to have teams say, ‘Well, OK, but despite that, we’re going to keep him here because he’s a great player,’” Gorman said. “He’s not. He’s an extra. He’s an eighth, ninth, 10th guy on your roster. So, those guys are very replaceable, especially if you get a guy that’s a bad locker room guy.
“If you’re a bad locker room guy and you’re the eighth or ninth guy, you’re not going to be the eighth or ninth guy for long because you’re not going to be on the team for long.”
Williams doesn’t agree with Gorman’s assessment one bit.
“It’s always difficult from the outside looking in,” Williams told The Observer. “I try my best to take the high road on most things. I’ve always tried to treat people with respect. Gorman was just talking in regard to what he thought he experienced and if you ask any one of my teammates across my career in this league, they’d know that I have not only been a great teammate, but a person they can rely on, a person they could talk to. That’s something that I’ve tried to pride myself on.
“So it’s tough hearing things like that because you never want to have someone attacking your character, especially as a teammate but also as a man. But at the end of the day, you can only focus on what you can control.”
Michael Finley, Dallas’ assistant general manager, also piled on recently, detailing in a radio interview how Williams challenged Dončić during a session earlier this season because he didn’t think the Mavericks star was focused and in the mood. Apparently, it backfired.
“One day in practice, a player or teammate, I won’t call his name out — but it was Grant Williams,” Finley said. “He decided he wanted to get under Luka’s skin. He felt that Luka didn’t come that day ready to practice. To make a long story short, they had a scrimmage going, he’s talking trash to Luka up and down the court. So finally, Luka says, ‘OK.’ And I tell you, Luka went on a 26-6 run by himself.”
Tatum came to Williams’ rescue this past week, using his thumbs to author a quick reply on X, formerly known as Twitter, to a headline highlighting Gorman’s unflattering depiction of the 25-year-old.
“Yeah, that meant the world,” Williams said. “And honestly, I didn’t even ask him. So, that’s why it was even cooler and I had to thank him afterward because that’s my dog for life. And all those guys up in Boston are. I talk to those guys more than most in my whole life career. (Derrick White), Payton (Prichard), Sam (Hauser), Al (Horford) — those guys have been huge over my course of my career and the time I spent there in Boston.
“Even Jaylen (Brown). Jaylen and I talk and that’s one of those things that like it’s funny when you hear things like that, when guys don’t really know what’s really going on. But hey, you can’t really talk much about it. I know I’ve always tried to treat those guys in Boston with respect, especially the commentating staff. So it surprises me that Gorman said that. But maybe that’s his true opinion.”
Either way, Williams is unfazed by Gorman’s take. He has other things on his mind. Leading into their matchup with the 76ers, the 60 points he netted in his previous three outings tied for the most in any three-game span of his career.
“You can’t control what other people say about you or what other people do around you,” Williams said. “All you can do is focus on what you are really involved with in the moment. And my goal right now is to just continue to grow this bond with this team, continue to grow the Hornets franchise in general and continue to impact winning.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2024 12:00 AM.
