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ESPN’s Jay Williams wants the NBA draft to be about the incoming rookies. But an uncomfortable interaction between him and fellow analysts Richard Jefferson and Kenny Smith became the story on Tuesday night.
Between the draft, Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded to the Heat, and the Knicks winning their first championship in 53 years, there was plenty to discuss on ABC’s broadcast, which is produced by ESPN. But late in the evening, after the telecast showed a clip of Williams when he was drafted by the Bulls in 2002, host Kevin Negandhi asked “why such a big ovation?” for Williams when he was selected second overall. Jefferson joked that fans were cheering because they “didn’t see the future coming.” Smith added that Williams’s “career trajectory would’ve been a lot different if he didn’t like motorcycles.”
The quips were references to a motorcycle accident that prematurely ended Williams’ playing career. The Duke phenom enjoyed a promising rookie year, but played only one season before the accident derailed his career.
Although the comments may have been meant as playful jabs at Williams, they created an awkward moment that the internet quickly seized on.
“For me, it was extremely uncomfortable,” Williams tells Front Office Sports. He says there was “no real tension,” but it was “awkward.”
Williams takes pride in the second career he has built in broadcast media over the last two decades as an ESPN analyst who is a regular panelist on shows like Get Up and First Take. “It’s about what you do after something like that happens,” he says.
He and Jefferson go way back, having played against each other in the 2001 NCAA national championship game. Williams chose not to get into a back-and-forth with his fellow analysts in real time, but there was no stopping social media accounts from clipping the moment and websites from running stories about it.
“One of the things I hated about the moment is that, you know, a lot of times things get said and it becomes a viral moment, but I don’t like when the viral moment becomes about me when I’m there talking about these young people where the moment was about them,” he says.
Williams found himself receiving outreach from people in the crowd at Barclays Center, including family members of players who were being drafted, asking if he was okay. “I’m like, ‘no, it’s not about me. It’s about you. This is your night,’” he says.
He’s been living with his accident for more than 20 years now, and says “people typically use it to try to diminish what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
“For me, frankly, I think it speaks volumes about what I have been able to accomplish,” he tells FOS.
As for how he, Jefferson, Smith, and Negandhi will move forward, Williams isn’t concerned. “We’ll talk about it, we’ll learn from it, we’ll move on. Welcome to TV.”
Williams’ Take on the Draft
While the internet went wild over the moment, Williams is staying focused on the substance of the draft and how the new rookie class could impact the league. He says there were no major surprises in terms of who was drafted when, and praised AJ Dybantsa, who the Wizards selected first overall. He thinks Darryn Peterson, picked second overall by the Jazz, “maybe has the most upside out of anybody in the draft,” an opinion he formed after speaking to CJ McCollum and others who have known Peterson for years.
As far as which teams stand to benefit the most immediately after the draft’s first round, Williams points to the Thunder and Spurs, two teams he says “continue to put their chokehold on the league.”
The Thunder added “depth,” he says, thanks to their selection of 7-foot-3 Aday Mara from Michigan with the 12th overall pick and a trade that netted them Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, who was initially taken 16th overall by the Grizzlies. The Spurs, meanwhile, landed two 6-foot-10 big men, using the 20th pick to grab Jayden Quaintance, who played for both Arizona State and Kentucky, before trading for UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., who was originally picked 26th by the Nuggets.
“I think both those two teams in the Western Conference got more powerful with their depth and talent,” Williams tells FOS.
