Getty Deron Williams and Joe Johnson of the Nets during the 2015 NBA Playoffs.
These days all of the hoopla surrounding the Brooklyn Nets concerns their big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and (sort of) Kyrie Irving. But this is not The Nets’ first try at making a super team work. When they first arrived in Brooklyn in 2012, the Nets had a bomb squad that included All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams. While the core four of the Nets enjoyed minimal success it is still one of the greatest collections of talent to grace an NBA floor.
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Deron Williams Set To Fight on Jake Paul Undercard
Williams last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, where he was supposed to fill the role of back-up point guard for Kyrie. But after an abysmal performance in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Williams retired from the NBA. Now the former Nets star is trying his hand at a new professional sport. According to Shams Charania of “The Athletic”, Williams is set to fight on the undercard of the Jake Paul/Tommy Fury pay-per-view fight on December 18.
One potential opponent for the 3-time NBA All-Star is Frank Gore, who is number three all-time on the NFL rushing yards list.
“NBA-Boxing world crossover, per sources: Former All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Deron Williams will fight on the Jake Paul/Tommy Fury undercard bout on December 18. Frank Gore — third on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list — is a potential opponent for Williams,” Charania tweeted on November 5.
NBA-Boxing world crossover, per sources: Former All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Deron Williams will fight on the Jake Paul/Tommy Fury undercard bout on Dec. 18. Frank Gore — third on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list — is a potential opponent for Williams.
While this may be Williams’s first professional boxing match the former Nets star is no stranger to the sport. According to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, the 37-year-old Williams has been training in mixed martial arts for quite some time now.
“The 6-foot-3 Williams, 37, has trained for years in mixed martial arts and boxing and owns a stake in Dallas’ Fortis MMA, one of the best-regarded gyms in that sport. His opponent has not been decided,” Raimondi writes per ESPN.
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Williams Is Not the First Retired Hooper to Step Into the Ring
Williams won’t be the first former NBA star to step into the squared circle post-retirement. Former New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson and Jake Paul were each other’s, first professional boxing opponents. The two squared off last November and the YouTube star hit Robinson with a knockout shot that left him motionless on the canvas. Despite devastatingly taking the L Robinson was grateful for the support that he received from his peers.
“I need to thank all my brothers for the support! There are too many to name, and IG only lets me choose 10 pics. But I’ve seen every one of you,” Robinson wrote on Instagram. “HUGE shout out to my brother [Kevin Garnett] for being there, and all of y’all that have reached out to me PERSONALLY…Mike Bibby, Carlos Arroyo, Bonzi Wells, Malik Rose, everyone in these pics, etc. It means the world and we’re gonna come back even better.”
Robinson received high praise from many of his peers for even having the courage to get in the ring against Paul but ultimately fell short of the win. It will be interesting to see if Williams will suffer the same fate.
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