In light of recent criticism, former Boston Celtics big player Grant Williams showered Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with praise for having his back.
Following Williams’ criticism for being an unfavorable presence in the locker room, Tatum and Brown stood up for him. On April 1, prior to the Celtics’ game against the Charlotte Hornets, Williams called out his old teammates.
In an April 1 piece, Williams said to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, “You can’t control people’s opinions or what they say.” The fact that Jayson and Jaylen stood up for me without my having to ask meant the world to me. Seeing that was pretty cool. That demonstrated who I am.
Williams continued by saying that he was caught off guard by Mike Gorman’s remarks when discussing his time with Boston.
“I spent many wonderful years in Boston. Maybe I still think that way about Mike, but I felt we had a terrific relationship. Perhaps he was making a commentary on what he perceived to be taking place. When I initially arrived, I used to enjoy seeing him with Tommy (Heinsohn), and now I enjoy watching him with Scal (Brian Scalabrine). I make an effort to stay up with Scal.
“I was absolutely taken aback by Gorman’s remarks, but there are some things people will say that you cannot control. I aim to be kind and considerate to everyone. You smile through it even though it kind of hurt.
Williams was a member of the Boston Celtics from 2019 until 2023, when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for cash. At the deadline, the Mavericks then traded Williams to the Hornets.
Grant Williams Is Called “Brother for Life” by Jayson Tatum
Tatum yelled at his former Celtics teammate during the Celtics’ victory against the Hornets on April 1. Tatum gave an explanation of why Williams is the object of everyone’s affection during his press conference following the game.
Tatum stated, “Grant always got some s*** to say,” according to the Celtics on the X account of NBC Sports Boston. “My brother for life is that.” I like to have fun outside, but I don’t talk trash at all if it’s someone I’m close to, like Grant. We simply enjoyed ourselves outside as it’s always nice to watch him (and) compete against him.
The second time Williams has faced the Celtics since leaving in 2023 was on April 1. Williams played for the Mavericks the first time. On April 13, Boston and Charlotte will play one again.
Grant Williams Talks Dirty With The Celtics
Williams discussed what it was like to trash criticize his former Celtics teammates at his postgame news conference.
Grant Williams on Trash Talk with #Celtics' Jayson Tatum: "Him and D-White constantly call me a hack. I'm always just like Y'all are hacks. You just don't get calls for it because you're superstars … I always tease [JT] about that because I think he was saying like I was… pic.twitter.com/Vm4xTifxBR
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) April 2, 2024
“Tatum and (Derrick) White call me hacks all the time. I’m like, “You guys are hacks,” all the time. Simply put, you don’t receive calls for it since you’re so famous. According to Celtics on CLNS Media’s X account, Williams stated.
When Williams and Tatum traded jabs, he went into more detail about what he had said.
I guess Tatum was making a joke about me fouling Kristaps Porzingis, so I usually make fun of him for that. I was like, “Hey man, you fouled Brandon Miller and Aleksej Pokucevski twice in a row.” You know, you’re fair-skinned and you believe you look good, so they didn’t call a foul on you.
