City of Basketball Love

Danny Holdsman (@DHoldsman)
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Pedro’s Posse, which made it to the Super 16 round of this year’s The Basketball Tournament, had five active pros on its roster. It was two retired players, though, that attracted the majority of the attention.

Jason Williams and Mike Bibby suited up for this year’s TBT for the first time and proved to the basketball world that they still can play at a high level.

“Personally, I just played for basketball,” Williams said after Pedro’s Posse bowed out Friday night with a loss to the Bradley alums of Always a Brave. “I love to play. My days are numbered. I don’t have many days left, so I get it in when I can.”

Williams, also known by his nickname ‘White Chocolate’, was selected 7th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, and ultimately played for four different teams in his 12-year NBA career.

The deception and trickery in his dribbling, passing, and lay-ups combined with his intensity quickly made him one of the most exciting players in all of basketball.

In addition to his popularity, Williams also had a fair amount of success while in the league. He averaged over 9.4 points and 4.9 assists per game for nine years, including the 2006 season when he won the NBA Championship as the starting point guard for the Miami Heat.

Williams first retired in 2008, but he decided to return one year later. He stepped away from the NBA for good in 2011. His last days were spent as a Memphis Grizzly.

Though he admitted “the first few years of retirement were tough,” Williams clearly is balanced by the time he now gets to spend with his family.

“I miss playing basketball when the playoffs come around, but I don’t miss all the traveling and stuff like that,” he said. “With my kids, I missed Christmases and first steps and first words. I can’t get those days back. I’m still healthy enough to play and run around with my kids, so I’m happy where I am.”

Playing in TBT, Williams relished the opportunity to get back on the court in front of a crowd. Though disappointment from a 92-65 loss to Always A Brave lingered, he was thrilled with the overall experience.

“[TBT] definitely lived up to my expectations,” he said. “It’s great to just play basketball. To put $2 million on the line, too, that’s just icing on the cake. I’d rather just win the tournament than get the $2 million. I’m playing for the win.”

In their Super 16 loss, Williams showed flashes of his passing and shooting brilliance. However, he and his team were outdone by the group of former Bradley players who made a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2006. Williams finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

“We didn’t have it tonight. We got our butts whooped by a better team. They get all the credit. It wasn’t anything we did wrong. They deserved it,” Williams said.

To the surprise of most fans in attendance, there was an even bigger name in the Philadelphia University gym than Williams or Bibby. Ben Simmons, first overall draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in this year’s NBA Draft, walked into the Gallagher Center midway through the first half of the game.

Perhaps Simmons acquired some of his passing prowess from watching Williams while growing up. Williams preferred not to comment on how he stacks up to Ben Simmons in terms of distributing ability.

“I’m not one to compare. I got a championship,” Williams said proudly. “That’s all I’m gonna say. Good luck to the Sixers with getting a championship.”

Although Williams seemed to do a bit of player-coaching on Friday, he doubts he’ll be running a team at any point in his future.

“I’m one irresponsible 40-year-old, so head coaching is out of the window,” Williams commented. “I could maybe be an assistant somewhere, but if I have a responsibility to be somewhere at 3 o’clock tomorrow for practice and somebody calls me to go to Augusta to play golf, I’m gonna go play golf. I can’t have that responsibility. As an assistant, I can be there to help. It may be Tuesdays and Thursdays, but other than that, I’m good.”

When asked if he plans to return to TBT next year and compete for the grand prize, Williams seemed to already have made up his mind.

“Does a fat hog fart?” Williams answered.