Basketball phenom Mikey Williams reaches plea deal; likely won't face jail time

Basketball phenom and social media sensation Mikey Williams appears likely to avoid jail time in connection to the shooting that occurred outside his California home earlier this year.

Williams on Thursday pleaded guilty to a single felony count of making a criminal threat, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Steve Walker told Yahoo Sports. The plea deal requires Williams to complete 80 hours of community service and attend cognitive behavior therapy, gun safety and anger management classes.

If Williams successfully completes those conditions and has no new legal issues, Walker said that the felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor. Williams, 19, is also forbidden from possessing a firearm as part of the plea deal and will have a 10-year gun restriction placed on his record when he is sentenced on Aug. 12.

Williams was arrested on April 13 in the wake of a late-night incident two weeks earlier at the $1.2 million hilltop home he owns east of San Diego. Angry that visitors unexpectedly showed up to his house, Williams allegedly threatened to shoot them. Then he allegedly fired a handgun at their vehicle as they drove away, damaging the trunk and rear windshield but leaving all six occupants unharmed.

Williams faced six counts of assault with a firearm, one count of firing into an occupied motor vehicle and two counts of making threats that could result in death or great bodily injury. The nine felony charges carried a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.

Arash Hashemi, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who has closely followed media coverage of Williams’ case, told Yahoo Sports that Williams “got a sweet deal, a sweet, sweet deal.” Hashemi said the district attorney probably “threw [Williams] a bone because he’s a young guy who made some stupid mistakes but he doesn’t have a record.”

“He’s basically getting a second chance, which makes sense,” Hashemi said. “If he were someone not famous, they’d probably get that chance.”

Williams, a University of Memphis basketball signee, has yet to practice or play with the Tigers so far this season. As of earlier this month, he was enrolled in online classes and remained on the roster, but did not have access to team facilities or activities.

It’s unclear how Williams’ plea deal will impact his chances of playing for Memphis. A Memphis spokesperson told Yahoo Sports, "We don't have anything new at this time."

Once a young phenom trumpeted as the best player in the 2023 class, Williams amassed more than one million social media followers before he played his first high school basketball game. He became one of the early faces of the name, image and likeness era, signing a first-of-its-kind endorsement deal with Puma as a junior in high school.

Even before his arrest, however, Williams’ star had begun to fade. San Ysidro High dropped 13 games during Williams’ senior season and failed to capture its league title or advance beyond the semifinals of the San Diego Open Division playoffs. Williams plummeted to No. 71 in Rivals’ final Class of 2023 rankings amid concerns about his effort, his defense and his decision making with the ball in his hands.

In a video posted by Overtime on social media Thursday, Williams said outside the courthouse that he feels good.

"All glory to God," he said, clad in a black suit and white sneakers. "I'm just happy that I made it out this situation. I'm just excited to get back to the [basketball] court."