Get to Know: Mo Williams

From David Locke’s “Get to Know” series with Jazz players.

“Mo Williams, from the University of Alabama. Roll tide.”

Mom
Caring…give you everything she has. I mean, she’s, she’s everything…That’s my heart. My mom is my heart. I mean, she’s my light. If anything goes wrong, you know, I can go to her. I can talk to her. She always has the answer.

[Locke: Was she the tough lover?]

No, my dad was the tough lover. I mean, she was just that angel, that one that, I could do no wrong.

It was a good day in the home when…
When my mom cooks spaghetti.

You knew you were in trouble when…
When my dad came in my room and knocked on my door.

Singular high school sports moment that stands out to you
I lost two state championships two years in a row. One in overtime; you know, that sticks out more than anything. Don’t have a state championship ring, and lost two of ’em.

Best game you ever had
Against our rival, Calloway High School. That’s our rival. It’s always packed; standing room only. Had a great game, had like 45 points, probably like 15 assists, you know, probably about 8, 9 rebounds. It was an amazing game.

First teacher/coach/mentor to see something special
It starts with Fred Williams and Coach Carter. Those are the two that introduced me to, to the games of basketball and baseball…Without them, I think, I don’t know what role I’ll be on. I don’t know where I end up at…I was six years old when I started playing sports and I was eight years old when I started playing basketball. Six years old, baseball. Eight years old, basketball.

Rapid fire
** First pair of basketball shoes: A pair of Converse [Chuck Taylors]. [Chucks?] It was.

** First car you ever drove, and how old were you: It was a 1992 Plymouth Acclaim. I was 14.

** Favorite meal: Good steak, medium well.

** What was on the walls of your childhood room: Just a bunch of basketball photos. Had Gary Payton, had Michael Jordan obviously. Had Jerry Rice.

** If you were an actor, what kind of actor would you want to be? Comedy. Think I could do it all, though.* I’m like a Denzel-type guy [or a] Samuel L. Jackson, I could play any role.

** If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be? Martin Luther King. Malcolm X. ?.

** First-ever game winner: The one I remember is high school. I was a freshman in high school. [JV or varsity?] Varsity.

** Superpower you’d pick: Being two places at one time.

** First video game ever played: Atari. Pac-Man.

** First dunk: High school. 9th grade.

** Worst job you ever had: Mazzio’s Pizza. I washed dishes. For two weeks. Then I walked out.

** Who would you rather play with in their prime, Stockton or Malone? I’ll take Karl Malone, ’cause I wouldn’t play if John was here.

* At this point, I’m thinking to myself, “What? No Denzel reference?” Then, bam! Denzel reference.

---

From a series of videos being uploaded by @da_breezman:

** Best NBA Arena: Staples Center. Not because I played there; even before I played there, I just always performed well there.

** Best Trash Talker: I probably would say I’m up there, but you got to give it to [Kevin Garnett].

** Best NBA Dancers: They might have the worst arena, but Charlotte has the best dancers…They underrated. The politically correct answer is Miami, but personally I like Charlotte.

** Best Thing About Jazz Fans: They committed…You give 125 percent, trust me, they gon ride with you.

---

Get to Know: Randy Foye
Get to Know: Enes Kanter
Get to Know: Earl Watson
Get to Know: Derrick Favors
Get to Know: DeMarre Carroll
Get to Know: Alec Burks aka Alex Borks
Get to Know: Al Jefferson
Get to Know: Paul Millsap