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Grant Williams (basketball)

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Grant Williams
Williams with the Boston Celtics in 2021
No. 2 – Charlotte Hornets
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-11-30) November 30, 1998 (age 25)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight236 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolProvidence Day School
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
CollegeTennessee (2016–2019)
NBA draft2019: 1st round, 22nd overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2023Boston Celtics
2023–2024Dallas Mavericks
2024–presentCharlotte Hornets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Grant Dean Williams (born November 30, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Williams played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was drafted 22nd overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics and reached the NBA Finals with the team in 2022.

Williams was elected as the First Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association in February 2023, replacing Andre Iguodala in the role.[1]

Early life

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Born in Houston, Texas, Williams moved to Charlotte, North Carolina as a child.[2][3] He attended Providence Day School in Charlotte, where he was teammates with future and fellow NBA player Devon Dotson.[4] As a junior in 2014–15, he averaged 18 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while leading the Chargers to a 25–5 overall record. As a senior, Williams averaged 15.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game.[3]

Rated a three-star recruit in the class of 2016, Williams committed to Tennessee on November 13, 2015.[5][6][7]

College career

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Williams at Tennessee

Williams was an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) player as a freshman, sophomore and junior for the Tennessee Volunteers.[3] He was awarded back-to-back SEC Player of the Year honors for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons, becoming the first player to do so since Corliss Williamson in 1995.[8] Williams led Tennessee as a third seed in the 2018 NCAA tournament and second seed in the 2019 NCAA tournament.

Professional career

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Boston Celtics (2019–2023)

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Williams was selected with the 22nd overall draft pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2019 NBA draft.[9] On July 11, 2019, the Celtics announced that they had signed him to a four-year, $11.8 million rookie-scale contract.[10] On October 23, 2019, Williams made his professional debut, coming off the bench in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[11] On December 4, 2019, he made his first career start in a winning effort against the Miami Heat.[12] In an effort to garner support for teammates making the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, Williams pledged to dye his hair pink if Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker all received a selection.[13] However, Williams did not do so as Brown did not make the team. Williams finished his rookie season averaging just over 15 minutes per game in 69 games, 3.4 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game.[14]

Upon completion of the 2020–21 NBA season, Williams' second season in the league, he slightly increased his averages in all major statistical categories. He finished the season averaging just over 18 minutes per game, 4.7 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game.[15]

On March 21, 2022, Williams scored a then career-high 20 points in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[16] He finished the 2021–22 NBA season with career-best averages with over 24 minutes per game, 7.8 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. On May 15, Williams scored a career-high 27 points in a decisive game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. His performance was highlighted by a 7-for-18 mark from three point range, records for both made threes and three attempts in an NBA game 7. Williams helped the Celtics reach the NBA Finals, but lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

On October 26, 2022, Williams was suspended for one game without pay for making contact with a game official during a 102–120 loss to the Chicago Bulls two days earlier.[17]

On March 6, 2023, Williams missed two critical free throws in the final seconds, costing his team the victory. Adding to the disappointment, Williams yelled at Cavs shooting guard Donovan Mitchell before the shots that he would make them both. Despite his pledge, both shots missed their mark, resulting in a 118–114 loss in overtime. Williams was attacked online with fans naming him "Not him".[18]

On May 19, 2023, during game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Miami Heat, Williams had nine points, two rebounds, two assists and one block in 26 minutes off the bench.[19] After Williams scored on a three-pointer to give Boston a 96–87 lead with 6:37 left, he mouthed some words to Heat forward Jimmy Butler while in transition to defense. Williams then fouled Butler on a made basket.[20] They then confronted each other verbally, resulting in technical fouls being issued to both players.[21][22][23] Butler said that the incident energized him; the Heat finished the game on a 24–9 run and won 111–105.[21]

Dallas Mavericks (2023–2024)

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On July 12, 2023, Williams was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade agreement.[24] He made his debut for the Mavericks on October 25, 2023, in a 126–119 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[25]

Charlotte Hornets (2024–present)

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On February 8, 2024, Williams was traded to the Charlotte Hornets alongside Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round pick in exchange for P. J. Washington and two future second-round picks.[26]

On November 23, 2024, Williams suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament, meniscus, and other ligaments in the right knee during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Williams was driving to the basket late in the fourth quarter, losing his footing after bumping into Bucks center Brook Lopez, where he landed awkwardly with a long step and collapsed onto the court. He was helped off the court and did not return to the game.[27]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Boston 69 5 15.1 .412 .250 .722 2.6 1.0 .4 .5 3.4
2020–21 Boston 63 9 18.1 .437 .372 .588 2.8 1.0 .5 .4 4.7
2021–22 Boston 77 21 24.4 .475 .411 .905 3.6 1.0 .5 .7 7.8
2022–23 Boston 79 23 25.9 .454 .395 .770 4.6 1.7 .5 .4 8.1
2023–24 Dallas 47 33 26.4 .413 .376 .745 3.6 1.7 .5 .6 8.1
Charlotte 29 10 30.6 .503 .373 .765 5.1 3.2 .7 .4 13.9
2024–25 Charlotte 16 7 29.9 .439 .365 .838 5.1 2.3 1.1 .8 10.4
Career 380 108 22.9 .452 .377 .774 3.7 1.5 .5 .5 7.2

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Boston 1 0 1.9 — — — 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 1 0 1.9 — — — 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020 Boston 17 0 10.0 .577 .588 .700 1.5 .4 .1 .3 2.8
2021 Boston 5 0 11.4 .500 .500 1.000 2.0 .8 .2 .8 3.4
2022 Boston 24 5 27.3 .433 .393 .808 3.8 .8 .3 .8 8.6
2023 Boston 15 0 17.7 .472 .450 .800 2.2 1.2 .3 .4 5.1
Career 61 5 18.8 .461 .433 .800 2.6 .8 .3 .5 5.7

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Tennessee 32 29 25.4 .504 .375 .667 5.9 1.1 .8 1.9 12.6
2017–18 Tennessee 35 35 28.8 .473 .120 .764 6.0 1.9 .6 1.3 15.2
2018–19 Tennessee 37 37 31.9 .564 .326 .819 7.5 3.2 1.1 1.5 18.8
Career 104 101 28.9 .516 .291 .758 6.5 2.1 .9 1.5 15.7

Personal life

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His mother, Teresa Johnson, is an electrical engineer for NASA.[28] His father, Gilbert, is a jazz artist and former college basketball player, who has worked as a bodyguard for musicians, including Prince.[29] He is a cousin of former NBA players Salim and Damon Stoudamire.[30] Turning down offers from Ivy League schools Harvard and Yale,[31] Williams graduated from Tennessee in three years with a degree in business.[32] At Tennessee, he received the C & C Millwright Athletic Scholarship.[33]

Williams threw out the first pitch at the Boston Red Sox game on August 7, 2019.[30]

References

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  1. ^ "NBPA Announces Election Results for Executive Committee Leadership Roles, and Gives Key Updates". NBPA.com. February 18, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Herbert, James (November 26, 2019). "The Grant Williams experience: How a different kind of rookie is lifting the Celtics up". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2023. ...moved from Houston as kids...
  3. ^ a b c "Grant Williams". utsports.com. University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Bonnell, Rick (May 17, 2019). "Can Charlotte's Grant Williams overcome that 'tweener' label in NBA draft chase?". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  5. ^ "Grant Williams [high school]". 247Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Grant Williams, 2016 Power Forward". Rivals. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  7. ^ "Grant Williams – Basketball Recruiting – Player Profiles". ESPN. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Wilson, Mike. "UT Vols basketball sweeps SEC honors: Rick Barnes, Grant Williams best in SEC". knoxnews.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  9. ^ "Celtics Draft Langford, Williams, Edwards & Waters". NBA. June 21, 2019. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  10. ^ George, Kyle (July 11, 2019). "Celtics Sign Pair of First-Round Draft Picks Langford, Williams officially join Celtics". NBA. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  11. ^ "76ers top Celtics 107–93 in 1st battle of East favorites". ESPN. October 23, 2019. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  12. ^ "Grant Williams to make first career start vs. Heat". December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Grant Williams Will Dye His Hair Pink If Celtics Teammates Make NBA All-Star Team". CBS Boston. January 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "Grant Williams 2019–20 Game Log". Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Grant Williams | Charlotte Hornets". nba.com. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "Grant Williams highlights: Celtics forward gets 20 points, 10 boards vs. OKC Thunder (3/21)". Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "Celtics' Grant Williams suspended". NBA. October 26, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  18. ^ Singh, Sanjesh (March 7, 2023). "Grant Williams misses game-winning FTs, claimed he'd 'make both'". nbcsports.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 2: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics Box Score, May 19, 2023". Basketball Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  20. ^ Bleacher Report (May 19, 2023). "Jimmy Butler & Grant Williams Get Into It". Retrieved May 20, 2023 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ a b Friedell, Nick (May 20, 2023). "Heat's Jimmy Butler: Exchange with Grant Williams fueled me". ESPN. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  22. ^ Botkin, Brad (May 20, 2023). "Celtics vs. Heat: Grant Williams poked the wrong bear, and Jimmy Butler ate him alive in Boston's Game 2 loss". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  23. ^ Hightower, Kyle (May 20, 2023). "Celtics pay price for Williams dust up, Tatum's cold finish in East finals Game 2 loss". apnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  24. ^ Sefko, Eddie (July 12, 2023). "Popular, young and talented Williams arrives to Mavericks". Dallas Mavericks. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "Mavericks spoil Victor Wembanyama's NBA debut, beat the Spurs 126–119 in the teams' opener". ESPN. October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  26. ^ "Hornets Acquire Seth Curry, Grant Williams And A 2027 First-Round Pick From Dallas". NBA.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  27. ^ Quinn, Sam (November 24, 2024). "Grant Williams injury: Hornets forward out for rest of season after multiple tears in right knee, per report". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  28. ^ Hass, Trevor (June 21, 2019). "5 things to know about former Tennessee star and Celtics draft pick Grant Williams". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  29. ^ Washburn, Gary (August 3, 2019). "Celtics first-round pick Grant Williams, a true student of life and basketball – The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Wilson, Mike. "Grant Williams throws out first pitch at Boston Red Sox game". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  31. ^ Scoggins, Chip (March 28, 2019). "Tennessee basketball star Grant Williams admits he's a nerd, but he sure can play basketball, too". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Grant Williams". Haslam College of Business. June 13, 2019. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  33. ^ "Grant Williams – Men's Basketball". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
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