What could have been.
It’s the NBA’s multi-million dollar question. And there’s plenty to go round. What if Portland drafted Jordan instead of Sam Bowie? What if Charlotte kept Kobe? What if LeBron made a different decision?
Those “what ifs” that we should just let go and in hindsight not dwell on, but from water coolers to barbershops we always do.
What if Jay Williams didn’t get hurt?
The Duke legend and Coach K standout looked set to be the next great Jason Kidd Point Guard of the NBA back in the new milleniuum like Deron Williams and Chris Paul alongside him. Not only that the number 22 looked set to follow in the sneaker steps of the man above him, number 23 in Chicago. Becoming the rebirth of the Baby Bulls team, giving the city and club their first real star powered, franchise face future since the one they called Mike (peep the book cover art of Jay paying homage to Jordan’s classic, artistic, basketball to contemplative forehead, sat down pose. Albeit with the scar on his leg that marked his career).
But it all came crashing down after an all too tragic motorcycle accident that almost took Jay Williams life took his career from him.
But they say in this life there are no accidents.
And that’s the overriding message in the ball player turned basketball broadcaster Jay Williams new moving memoir, ‘Life Is Not Accident-A Memoir Of Reinvention’. The man’s amazing autobiography that details his life before and after his accident. Focusing on his devil of a hoops career at Duke and his graduation to a top draft day pick and his charge with Chicago.
There’s a lot of beautiful memories here for nostalgias sake and some locker room and behind the basket stories for leather and seam aficinados. His opening paragraph picturing his view of Lake Michigan from a Chicago penthouse is as eloquent as it is evocative. But the real heart of this book lies in the teachings from a tortured soul about how to live life with responsibility before the irreversible happens. From saving your money to cherishing your success as well as relishing in it.
Williams also takes us through a step by step guide to his post NBA career from the dirty game of sports agencies to the more honest one of his humbling broadcasting tenure that sees him today as a regular and fondly sought after halftime show reporter. Jay’s book is perfect for rookies and veterans alike. Showing how to navigate life and basketball business the right way from draft to retirement. How to learn from your mistakes and from the lessons of those that have come before you so young ballers can get the best out of their lives, before, during and after their playing days.
But in this bittersweet book that is the most inspiring off court, sideline scribe since the late, great Stuart Scott’s moving memoir ‘Everyday I Fight’, Jay laments heartbreak and regret from dark depression to raw redemption. But just look and you will see that the legacy of this legend extends to more than just the hardwood and hard times.
It’s clear to read all he’s achieved.
If you happen to stumble on this book, make sure it’s no accident.
