Former Celtics forward Grant Williams, who recently signed with the Mavericks, opened up about a pivotal decision he made regarding his college basketball career.
Despite offers from prestigious Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale, Williams ultimately chose to attend the University of Tennessee, a choice that didn’t initially sit well with his mother.
Williams revealed that Yale was his second option, not Harvard, but his decision to attend Tennessee raised concerns within his family, given the academic opportunities he was passing up.
He acknowledged that as a young black male in society, opting for a non-Ivy League school wasn’t the conventional choice for academic pursuits.
“My mom wasn’t necessarily happy with that, being that I’m a black male in society and I had a chance to go to an Ivy League. It doesn’t necessarily sit well when you say you’re going to Tennessee for academics, but also to play sports,” Williams explained during a conversation with Emily Austin on The Hoop Chat.
Despite the initial reservations, Williams’ journey has taken him from Tennessee to the NBA, and his accomplishments on and off the court have undoubtedly left his mother smiling in the end.
“My mom wasn’t super happy about that. But it worked out, so she’s smiling now,” he concluded.
