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Former Boston Celtics big man Grant Williams heaped praise on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for having his back in light of recent criticism.
Both Tatum and Brown defended Williams after he was criticized for being a negative presence in the locker room. Before the Celtics played the Charlotte Hornets on April 1, Williams shouted out his former Celtics teammates.
“You can’t control people’s opinions or what they say,” Williams told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn in an April 1 story. “It meant the world to me that Jayson and Jaylen came to my defense without me asking. It was pretty cool seeing that. It showed the person that I am.”
Williams added that Mike Gorman’s comments took him by surprise while talking about his time with Boston.
“I had a lot of great years in Boston. I thought I had a great relationship with Mike, and maybe I still do. Maybe he was commenting on what he thought was happening. I always loved watching him and Tommy (Heinsohn) when I first got there, and now him and Scal (Brian Scalabrine). I try my best to keep up with Scal.
“(Gorman’s comments) definitely caught me off-guard, but there are things they’re going to say and you can’t control. I try to treat people with grace and care. It kind of hurt, but at the same time, you smile through it.”
Williams played for the Celtics from 2019 to 2023 before the Dallas Mavericks acquired him in a sign-and-trade. The Mavericks then moved Williams to the Hornets at the deadline.
Jayson Tatum Calls Grant Williams ‘Brother for Life’
After the Celtics beat the Hornets on April 1, Tatum shouted out his former Celtics teammate. During his postgame press conference, Tatum explained why there’s nothing but love for Williams.
“Grant always got some s*** to say,” Tatum said, per Celtics on NBC Sports Boston’s X account. “That’s my brother for life. I don’t talk trash at all, but, if it’s somebody I’m close with, like Grant, I like having fun out there. So it’s always good to see him (and) compete against him, so we just had some fun out there.”
April 1 marked the second time Williams has faced the Celtics since departing in 2023. The first time was when Williams played for the Mavericks. Boston will play against Charlotte again on April 13.
Grant Williams on Trash Talk With Celtics
During his postgame press conference, Williams talked about what it was like to talk trash with his former Celtics teammates.
“(Tatum) and (Derrick) 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,'” Williams said, per Celtics on CLNS Media’s X account.
Williams elaborated further on what he told Tatum when they exchanged barbs with one another.
“I always tease (Tatum) about that because I think he was saying like I was fouling (Kristaps Porzingis) or something. I was just like, hey man, you fouled (Aleksej Pokucevski) and Brandon (Miller) two possessions in a row. They just didn’t call a foul on you because you know, you’re light skinned and you think you’re pretty.”
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