"It definitely sucked" - Grant Williams expresses dissatisfaction over tribute video snub in TD Garden return
Grant Williams has been one of the workhorses of the Boston Celtics before being dealt in a sign-and-trade to their now NBA finals opponent Dallas Mavericks. In his four years with the Celtics, Williams hit his peak when he was part of the team’s rotation in the 2022 NBA finals, in which they bowed out against the Golden State Warriors.
Williams was then shipped to the Charlotte Hornets in the middle of the 2024 season in exchange for PJ Washington, who has been pivotal in the Mavericks’ playoffs run.
Now watching two of his former teams go at it in the NBA Finals, Grant Williams looked back on his time with the Celtics, expressing his dissatisfaction with the lack of video tribute for him when he returned to the TD Garden early in the season.
“It definitely sucked because it would’ve been cool to see the highlights and the highs that we had throughout that team,” said Williams in the FanDuel’s Run It Back show.
Williams bared that he expected to see nothing from the Celtics in his return to their home arena in April after seeing no video for his former teammate Robert Williams III.
“They were giving most guys videos whether it was Rob [Robert Williams III] or Malcolm [Brogdon], and [Marcus] Smart. The game before, I think a couple of games before, Rob had texted saying he doesn't want a video. If Rob doesn't get a video, it makes no sense to give me one. I expected that to happen,” Williams said.
Williams, the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, played 288 games for the Celtics in the regular season, alongside 61 playoff games from 2019 to 2023. He was nursing an ankle injury when he returned to Boston for an April 12th game in which the Hornets lost by 33 points.
Considered a fan favorite for his hustle in Boston, Williams averaged 6.2 points, and 3.4 rebounds in his time with the Celtics.
Williams improved his numbers across the board in his first season without a Celtics uniform, averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 76 games across two teams: the Mavericks and Hornets.
Why teams create tribute videos for former players
Tribute videos were once reserved for stars --- those who have made great accomplishments with their former teams and those who were revered by their local city.
Now, a player receives a tribute video even if their stint with their former team was not as memorable or revered.
Some role players who received tribute videos from their former team include Robin Lopez, Corey Brewer, Davis Bertans. Robert Covington, Ish Smith, Dario Saric, Taurean Prince, Delon Wright, Mike Scott, Markieff Morris, and Georges NIang, all have never even been All-Stars in their career.
According to Matt Tape in a report by Yahoo Sports, part of why so many players get tribute videos is because organizations around the league want to establish a player-friendly image.
"Everything stemmed from the idea of trying to show that we’re player-friendly," Tape, an in-arena production manager for the Houston Rockets, said, owing the directive from their former general manager Daryl Morey.
With player movements being abundant every year, expect these random tribute videos to continue. Although Grant probably shouldn't expect a tribute when he eventually returns to Dallas either.