Charlotte forward Grant Williams on Luka Doncic, NBA TV, and helping Hornets win again

Grant Williams just wants to win.

The new Charlotte Hornets forward grew up here and was an all-state high school basketball player at Providence Day. In 2016, he helped lead the Chargers to a state championship win over Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo’s powerhouse prep team.

Earlier this year, Williams was named one of the best Charlotte high school basketball players of the past 40 years.

And after winning back-to-back SEC player of the year awards at Tennessee, Williams was a first round NBA draft pick by the Celtics in 2019. But after four years in Boston, Williams was traded to Dallas in a sign-and-trade agreement last summer that included a four-year $53 million contract. But Williams didn’t stay in Dallas long.

The Mavs traded Williams — who reached the NBA playoffs in each of his first four seasons — to Charlotte at the trade deadline in February.

Now, instead of playing in Boston or Dallas, two teams currently in the conference semifinals or finals, Williams’ season is done, and he’s one of the Hornets’ players trying to figure out how to end an eight-year playoff drought.

“It’s a blessing to be home and be surrounded by friends, family and people you love,” said Williams, who averaged 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season. “As you know, Charlotte sports in the past four or five years haven’t necessarily performed the way people have wanted. So if you can be a part of that group that builds it out and makes its consistent, that’s all I want to do. That’s a dream for a Charlotte kid.”

Williams, 25, spoke with The Observer last week about his partnership with Quest Nutrition, an alleged dust-up with Mavericks’ star Luka Doncic during practice and the Hornets’ future. The interview is edited for brevity and clarity.

Langston Wertz Jr.: So how did you get involved with Quest?

Grant Williams: The partnership actually happened this past year. Prior to that, I had been interested because when I was (training pre-draft in 2019), I used their products when I was working out in Santa Barbara. I was like, ‘Wow, this could be really good. Not only to have it as part of the diet, but maybe I get to the point where I’m good enough (that) I can offer them value as much as they offer me value.

Thankfully, they were happy to go in as partners and they’ve been phenomenal in the relationship. They’ve helped with my foundation, helped with my basketball camp as well as my golf tournament.

LW: LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are out of the NBA playoffs as the conference semifinals are going on. Are we seeing a passing of the torch in the league?

GW: Yeah, it’s kind of funny. The same way that Brandon Miller says Paul George is his favorite player, I’ll be excited to see, in 10 years, when someone says Anthony Edwards is the best player they’ve seen play. I think it is a passing of the torch. It’s not that (James, Durant and Curry) aren’t capable, but I just think that this next generation is prepared to step into the limelight of the league, carry the torch and move on.

Those guys can still make an impact — Steph, Bron, KD — no matter what team they’re on, but this next youthful generation really has a chance to do special things this year and in the years to come.

LW: Speaking of Anthony Edwards, how big a deal is it for a guy like him to be playing so well and really expanding his brand as the NBA is negotiating a new TV deal?

GW: It’s cool to see. Players are supportive of one another. Last year they were talking about how the Rudy Gobert trade was the worst in NBA history (the Jazz traded Gobert to Minnesota and got five players and five first round draft picks).

And then you have the juggernaut in Boston running through everybody, and you have young talented teams like (Oklahoma City) who are prepared for years to come with the (multiple) draft picks they own.

LW: Would you like to see the NBA go back to NBC and be on network over-the-air TV again, or would you miss it being on TNT with the Inside The NBA crew (Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson)?

GW: I would definitely miss those (TNT) guys. It would be tough to not have TNT. I hope there’s a way to partner, but it’s a matter of who gives up the most money to chase the rights. It would be sad (to lose TNT) but I do miss the old jingle from NBC. That was tough. When I was young, I was watching those games (on NBC).

LW: How did you get involved with the NBPA, the National Basketball Players Association (Williams, now the First Vice President, was named to the board of directors in June 2023).

GW: I used to watch Chris Paul in high school, and he was president of the union at the time (when I came in). When I got to the league, I always said I wanted to help educate and protect players for years to come. So I tried to join immediately. I ran for vice president as a rookie and ended up losing to Kyrie (Irving) by two or three votes. I was like, ‘Oh well, at least I lost to Kyrie.’

But then the bubble happens. I was a vocal guy during the bubble and coming out of the bubble was when Chris stepped down and CJ McCollum took his position as president and I became vice president. Once Andre Iguodala retired, his first VP role opened, which is directly under the president. I got nominated for that as well, and you never know what I can be in years to come. If I could hopefully be president one day and players support me, I can continue to grow my relationships around the league and understand what players want and need — and fight for them.

LW: How tough was it to go from Boston to Dallas to Charlotte so quickly?

GW: I feel like it wasn’t as tough going from Boston to Dallas. I knew the move was coming and had everything set up. I found a home within the first month or two. But the trade (to Charlotte) was more difficult. I knew it was coming but an in-season trade is difficult for anyone.

Understand, you go from living in a house to now you’re living in a hotel. I purchased a home Dallas rather than renting. I ended up selling that home within the first three days of it being on the market and bought a home in Charlotte which I plan on keeping.

LW: So the transition back home has been pretty smooth?

GW: It’s been a good but takes some time. It was four months of being in a hotel and now being at my parents’ house. It’s been interesting. But within the next two weeks, I should be moving into my house.

LW: So what really happened with you and Luka Doncic? Was the “rift” real or a media creation? (Former Maverick Michael Finley told Sports Illustrated about a practice altercation between the two, and rumors circulated that Williams was a bad teammate in Dallas and that Doncic was one of the stars who ultimately pushed him out).

GW: I think it’s a media creation. I can text Luka today, and me and him are good. Before the game (between the Hornets and Mavericks after the trade), we were talking. As much as I can say yes, of course, I’ll probably go at Luka a little bit, at the same time, we’ve known each other four or five years. It’s not something he didn’t expect. He knows I’m a competitive guy and we always compete. So no matter what rumors are out there, we still have a respect for each other and still talk.

It’s funny hearing all the things that come up when trades happen or when things don’t go well. It’s something I try to stay above and keep moving past.

LW: So are you active on NBA Twitter? You do “trend” a lot.

GW: I don’t have Twitter on my phone. A lot of times people will text me: “Did you see this?” I’m like, “No.” Then I go look at it. I’ll log into my Twitter account (on a computer browser) and see what’s going on. But i try to stay off of it a lot. There’s always going to be something new happening, so I try to not feed into (it).

LW: Can the Hornets get this thing turned around?

GW: You look at team that ended the season versus the team that started (Charlotte finished 21-61, but was better after a trade brought Williams and Seth Curry to town). If you’re a 41-41 team in the West you’re 11th seed. In the East, you’re in the Play-In. So it’s only 20 more games for us to win, and I think if everyone is healthy, it’s a chance for us to make an impact and look like Orlando, Oklahoma City, (teams) like that.

LW: How good is the Hornets’ backcourt of Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball, especially if they can play together for an entire season?

GW: The talent is there. Now it’s just a matter to make sure they’re on court together. LaMelo is an All-NBA caliber player and Brandon is on his way to be. And with their ability to lead on the (court) and if I can be a vocal guy or a guy who just talks to them privately and talks to everybody else in a public way, there’s a chance for us to be really special.

LW: Last question. You’ve always been a big fan of the WNBA. Your thoughts on it now as it appears ready for a growth spurt.

GW: Those first 25 years, as much as people said we were investing in the W, we weren’t investing in the W. The fact that they’re on ESPN now and you can find games (is big). You saw what happened with the (scrimmage) game recently with the Chicago Sky (and Minnesota Lynx) where it wasn’t even televised and someone live streams it and two million people watch it, and now all of sudden, we’ve got to put this game on TV.

These things are pertinent for the W to continue to grow. I think that’ll continue to grow revenue and I think people will realize it’s a fun game to watch. It’s a real opportunity for investment but also a great opportunity for those women to continue to do the thing they love: that’s play basketball and make an impact on this next generation.