Hornets Hive Cast: 1-on-1 with Grant Williams

Hornets Hive Cast: 1-on-1 with Grant Williams

Welcome to the Hornets Hive cast presented by Charlotte ey Ear Nose and Throat Associates the official I ear nose and throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets here’s your host Sam Farber without further Ado let’s welcome the pride of Providence Day goat Chargers Grant Williams here to the

Hornet hcast Grant thanks for being with us thanks for having me what does it mean to you to get to play now professionally in your hometown it means the world um I talked about bringing back the was when it was 20 what was it 2015 maybe I think around that those

Years with my friend Jonathan hoppy at Providence day who’s one of the bigger Char uh Hornets fans and remember that like it was yesterday and being able to put this jersey on for this city um I know how this city is and I know exactly what you know Charlotte basketball means

And North Carolina basketball means so um especially when this team wins games and it’s good they’re going to be out here and supporting us and that’s our job to do that put that product on the court so we can have these fans as excited as I was in those years Kimba

Marvin Williams Big Al and everybody else you can feel that pride and it it’s not lost on me I don’t think it’s an accident at least home games leading the team out of the tunnel it’s you and Seth Curry or it’s Seth Curry and you it’s

Some order of that too that can’t be an accident honestly it’s something that we were doing in Dallas too which is kind of funny that I look back and it may even more significant now that you know Seth leads us out of the tunnel because you know he’s our most tenured uh player

He’s also one of the leaders on his team whether it’s vocal or not and he’s a guy that we look look to um both as a voice both as the professional that he is coming in his approach every single day and you know myself I just try my best

To do the same bring that same energy it can’t be easy to to step into that kind of leadership role I mean half the rotation changed a third of the roster but there were a lot of guys that were here already how seamless was it to kind

Of reinvent the uh not pecking order but some of the leadership roles within the locker room yeah it’s not much about Reinventing it’s more of understanding your position like I came in to observe to start you know not trying to be a guy that just comes in Rah vocal leader um

And then you learn from um the guys that are here what they had experience with and then you try your best to give your feedback on where you’ve been what is success if you had and you know you got to go out there and play basketball

First show them that you can play That’s How really your voice kind of shows that pecking order and shows that you’re well-intentioned you know um being a guy that they know I had to tell them I said guys I don’t to score 30 points every

Single night I’m not here to do that I’m here to win games so um you guys have to understand yeah yeah I might be popping and it might be a necessar it could be a shot right but instead we’re going to the second action I’m Gonna Get You open

Brandon I’m Gonna Get You open Seth I’m going get you open DB and that was just a new new fresh voice and fresh life I feel like and um everybody has to be well intentioned on this team to play great basketball and especially with lamelo out and we’re missing guys like

Mark lamelo two key key guys in his rotation we have have to be there for one another and have each other’s backs Grant Williams Our Guest today here on the Hornets hicast Grant you’ve got a varied set of interests Beyond just basketball and I would assume a lot of

That comes from your parents your mom worked for NASA your dad was a basketball player in college in his own right but also uh was a musician worked in the entertainment industry in security what are some attributes that maybe you pulled from your parents and their Diversified careers and interests

That maybe manifest themselves through you on the floor yeah it’s a bit you know I always say I was fortunate you know I was able to learn a lot of things both parents you know my mom being the education you know understanding the value of it understanding the value of

Mentorship understanding the value of giving back my dad being the social light being the one to understand the value of relationships understand the value of um the industry that you’re in you know um he was surrounded by the more high-profile individuals for most of his life both from basketball him

Growing up in New York playing um at the Rucker and all those with those guys and then also his security and Stage management roles um being able to do that so um I’m fortunate you know to be able to have those two to be able to

Kind of look to as history and be able to use that history to better the position that I am today there’s no one route to the NBA but the more common one in this era tends to be a player is identified as a Superstar athlete and

Potential lottery pick at like 12 or 16 very very young age and and it just kind of flows from there they stay in certain rankings from that point on you kind of follow a different path you are a self-proclaimed nerd uh you had opportunity to go the ivy league route

You weren’t necessarily that five-star pick out of Providence day but you made yourself into a major Prospect how did your journey to the NBA make you the player and the person that you are today yeah um it it just keeps you humble in a way you know understanding that you w’t

In this position to start I was around people that were you know the banat BIOS the Harry Giles Dennis smiths in this in this state and you know you gotta I gotta gain confidence from playing those guys understand that you compete with them like I never knew if I was going to

Be NBA player but I knew that I was battling with these guys I knew if I could take it to them in college the same way like I was if I battle them in college I learn that dang I can probably do this in a pro level and at the pro

Level trying to hold my own here as well and um it’s just a different Edge and mentality you have to play with and and you can’t forget where you came from you can’t forget um the work that you put in to get here and getting back to that

Love for the B of basketball and love for the competitive Drive of winning you know um I was fortunate I was in a great position in Boston where we won a lot of games and I made an impact on a lot of them but also sometimes there you can

Not make an impact and um SK by and get a win um being in this this organization this team um we’re going to have to use each other and really compete every single night and there’s no off nights there’s no um getting off off when you know guys aren’t feeling good or you

Know guys are down or not feeling like playing that night and talent carries like we’re us we got to be a bunch of junkyard dogs that are will to win I’ve tried some different nicknames with some of the new guys we’re getting to know you still one that I’ve put for you is

The mayor partially because you’re from Charlotte Langston wz already took that from you so there you go LST WS that was his nickname for me for the my first like when I started 8 years old on to when I graduated high school he was the one that he never published it but he

Was always the one call me the mayor I love it well all right well we’re keeping it alive then the mayor uh partially you’re from Charlotte uh also because when you’re on the floor with Miles and man and Martin and Miller Grant Williams you know it fits but it’s

Fun to have a 5m out there um but also because you exhibit and exude leadership and it’s obviously been recognized by your peers you’re a first vice president of the Players Association what does leadership mean for you both in that role maybe you can shed some light on on

What that entails but also for this team here that you’re on now yeah I always say it comes in different forms um sometimes leadership can look as the vocal leader other times it can just be your approach and how you you know work every single day and from the mbpa

Perspective the first vice president’s job is to assist the president any needs that he may necessarily have and also be in discussions in regards to league and organizational matters um being there to support players being there as a voice be able to listen and also understand players needs and hopefully

Um gr our relationships to be able to push the league forward later on in the future you know as the league continues to get younger um it’s going to be critical for us to really have a involvement with our guys at a young age not only just Grassroots but also um

When they get to the first step into the league and make sure you Garner those relationships from the beginning so that way um they know you’re being true in all the words that you’re saying and that you have their backs and they just don’t assume that it’s they’re on their

Own because this league can be lonely and isolated and they shouldn’t have to feel that way and then from a leadership role for this team I know that it starts with the day-to-day approach of professionalism showing them exactly what it takes to really win at this

Level and on the court being a guy that rarely makes mistakes but even if he does it’s willing to say that he made a mistake um that’s a key point of being a leader is you’re not supposed to be perfect you know you’re not going to win

Every battle you’re not going to win every war but how you respond how you communicate how you you know bring guys in after the fact it’s going to be critical and how you develop and how that leadership role is viewed Grant Williams Our Guest today here on the

Hornets Hive cast Grant you have an Outsiders perspective of the organization having played outside of Charlotte for the majority of your career in this season included and also your relationships with all players around the league with your role in The Players Association what is the outside opinion of Charlotte the city the

Franchise the team yeah it’s a different different feeling because I’m a guy from Charlotte so I’ve seen it from when I was a kid seeing the organization how was operated um when I was as an adult playing against them and then now on the team um from the outside in you know

People always assumed unprofessional you know all those things that they describe the team as but when you get here you realize these guys are really you know they’re young but they have a level of maturity that isn’t shown shown they’ve made mistakes as they’re supposed to you

Know at a young age you’re allowed to make mistakes but how you respond to those mistakes is really what shows your character and how you’re trying to develop and I think this organization has done a phenomenal job of protecting those guys and their mistakes and now

It’s just a matter of them stepping up and really investing back into the organization that give um there’s so much talent here you know lamelo Brandon Miller miles Mark um down the line across the board those are just the core of young talent and those guys are

Really have a chance to be a playoff team and establish a championship culture as long as you know they focus on the right things and that’s something that hopefully I can assist with and I think they’ve actually Cliff has been a phenomenal advocating guy for them you know he’s disciplined them he’s help

Been allow on the especially on the basketball Flo and teaching them the right principles and how to play the game you know that’s something that I feel like isn’t brought to light you know they play good basketball here when when they’re committed to it you know like that’s something outside looking in

They always are in the competitive games you know when you play against Boston the bigname teams they were always a team that you know we struggled against for some reason they always came and we would end up winning the game at the end but um because whether it was mistakes

Or turnovers or whatever else but you know it’s not Talent that’s the issue here um in terms of I remember Cliff like before maybe but now especially um with the guys especially as we get healthy talent’s going to be there it’s just a matter of how we commit to

Winning how we commit to being a team and everybody here really enjoys one another and that’s something that you love to see that’s the first step now the next step is understanding what it takes to win every single night can you put into context that level of talent

Because obviously as you mentioned in Boston it it takes much more than just being talented it takes players with the level of commitment and a chemistry and a that Championship X Factor to get to where you guys were for so many years but you also need ajason Tatum you need

Players that are that all-nba level of talent so you look around the roster at the lamelo and the Brandon Millers as you’ve gotten to know them how good are the talents on this team they’re the same um they have the potential to be the same especially you know I look at

Brandon and I don’t I see a spitting image of Paul George you know in a way it’s just a matter of how he develops you know with his body how he learns how to use his feet you know in the fundamental game um PG does a phenomenal

Job of being able to bump guys off to get to his shots but also you know using seren to get open um I always look at the Young PG versus the PG now they play two completely different games Brandon’s I think the shooter that PG is now um

Compared to what he was in Indiana and I think that he has that potential and then with lamelo like I’ve always said lamelo has so much talent you know especially when he’s on the floor he’s a guy that can impact a lot of games um I

Look at lamelo he’s a guy that can reminds me a bit of a mix of Luca and Tyrese you know maybe not necessarily the score that Luca is but the passer that Tyrese is and be able to go with Pace up the floor and um being able to

Make really take control of a game and and energy around it so um those two have a bright future ahead as long as they stay committed and stay focused on the things that matter um keeping basketball first um understanding that everything comes from basketball understanding that how your teammates

How people in this league and everybody view you um is is critical because as they continue to grow um the league will grow with them and doesn’t matter if they want to do that or if they want to be left in the dust and I think that they’re really committed to doing the

Former rather than the latter last one for you obviously uh injuries have kind of submarined this season and really hurt the Hornets but you’ve talked about the level of talent here in your opinion what’s the timeline to get to where you want to be and what is the ceiling for

This squad but this team really has a summer like I think that that’s all we need just to really focus on one another and bring the pieces in that necessarily team may think we need and then I think we go and rolling sry next year he’s the

Mayor Grant Williams thanks so much for joining us here today on the Hornet livecast thank you that does it for this edition of The Hornet livecast remember the hhc is available daily wherever you get your podcast all throughout the NBA season with game previews every game Day reviews every day after and in-depth

Interviews everywhere in between I’m Sam Farber it’s been a pleasure and a privilege having you along and we’ll talk to you next time right here on the Hornets hivec thank you for listening to the Hornets hivec brought to you by senta the official Eye Ear Nose and Throat care provider of the Charlotte

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