Former high school star Mikey Williams, who LeBron James once raved about, potentially faces 28 years in jail on felony gun charges
Mikey Williams was once praised by LeBron James for his ability to put the ball inside the basket is now to stand trial on six felony gun charges in front of a Supreme Court judge. This turn of events puts the basketball career of this Memphis Tigers guard uncertain.
Williams faces five charges of assault with a weapon and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle and could be spending as much as 28 years in prison if proven guilty on all counts.
As reported by CBS, the unfortunate shooting happened on March 28 at his home in San Diego County as gunshots were fired at a car leaving the house with five passengers. Fortunately, no one was hurt but there were no witnesses around that could verify if Williams fired the weapon.
According to the testimony, Willams was only seen with the gun but not in the action of firing it. However, the witnesses saw the young basketball star threatening the victims which prompted them to pursue the case.
"We are aware of the situation and are gathering more information," statement by the University of Memphis.
Williams is currently enrolled in online classes at Memphis and remains with the roster but has limited access to team activities. He is now scheduled for arraignment on October 24 and his status with the Memphis basketball program will be determined after the hearing.
How good was Mikey Williams?
Mikey Williams is a basketball prodigy who gained attention during his freshman year in San Ysidro High School located in San Diego, California. He made noise on his debut scoring 41 points and even broke records registering 77 points in one game.
During his freshman season, he dominated averaging 29.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game earning him the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year.
A highly sought-after basketball recruit, Williams was offered many Division I programs. On November 5, 2022, he decided to play for the University of Memphis and to be coached by NBA legend Penny Hardaway.
However, Mikey Williams in his recent arrest has his basketball future in a murky situation. He signed a multi-year deal with Puma in 2021 but all his social media accounts are currently deactivated.