Alan Williams on NBA Journey, Perseverance, Playing in China

What’s up everybody? This is Fred Richani of the sports core. I have right here via Skype a very special guest. There’s one of these standout players of the Brooklyn Nets. You may have seen him play in the G League dominate and you may have seen him with the Phoenix Suns. He was ballin out in China. This is a man. That is the definition of perseverance and when it comes to basketball we’re talking to the man himself Alan Williams aka Big Al aka big sauce. How’s it going going well doing great. Thank you. Thanks for having me over here. Yeah, thanks for joining us. Now, I know at the moment you’re working out in Brooklyn.

I think the question on every Nets fans mind is are you going to be back with Brooklyn next year. You know, I would love to play in Brooklyn again, you know, the organization is a first-class organization that do things the right way. Obviously the cards are gonna lie. I have a how they do. And I in the day that decisions not necessarily all the way up to me. It is from both sides, but who really knows. But as far as my desire. I think being in Brooklyn would be a good fit for me and hopefully it can happen. Yeah, absolutely. I think it’d be great.

And the improvement that you guys showed you over the course of the season. I mean a lot of people thought, ok. This is gonna be a rebuilding project, you know, they lost all the draft picks a few moons ago with that cagey trade, you know, it’s gonna take them a lot of compete and bam. They made it to the playoffs, you know, got to the first round we’re competitive with the Sixers. I mean, just being a part of that squad being a part of the development as well as in the gee league? What are your thoughts on the overall improvement of the Nets. I think it’s a true testament to the job that Sean marks and Kenny have done getting me and good players and good guys that want to get in there and work every day.

They changed the culture and now it’s something where anybody can really be plugged into that system and be successful. And I think you’re gonna continue to see the steady growth to the Brooklyn Nets organization was in the next couple years, you know, a great young talent and like I said good veteran leadership around good coaching staff in a different office. I think it’s a combination for success? So being a part of that journey and a part of that culture is was amazing for me this past season. And I’m very fortunate to be able to do. So how fun is it to know that you guys have become kind of a meme with the bench celebrations.

It’s hilarious. Every time I see it and my friends send me the pictures of my family submitted pictures or the gifts or whatever. It’s hilarious, you know, it’s pure emotion, you know, basketball is an emotional sport. And I think a lot of times fans or whatever can see it is a little bit overboard or whatnot. But at the time of it happening. It just seemed like the right thing to do to get up and cheer on your teammates and make sure that they know that you have their back no matter what and I don’t think there’s a better way every expression tattered and then celebrating with them when they do something well and you’re somebody there’s a phoenix native played for the Phoenix Suns for a couple seasons played with the Brooklyn Nets went back and forth between the team and the G League team with a jeudi team is very well nearly won a championship made it to the final and everything and water something that hasn’t seen a whole lot of playing time when you have play time.

You’ve really shined and I feel like – I got when I mentioned Alan Williams to my friends internet fans. Like they all pop. They’re like, oh my god like this is that’s awesome. Like it’s kind of cool to see like basketballs growth over the years between the G League between the NBA and everything else? How does it feel to be a guy that, you know, isn’t necessarily considered a quote of both stars as a team, but a guy that always hustles always puts in the work and I have that kind of fan base where people know exactly who you are and can respect your game.

I mean, that’s kind of what I try to go out there and do buzz is do something memorable, you know, a suit I’m this effective it helps the team win and people love guys that play hard and every team needs that. So I know my role and in what I can do. And what I can really do to help an organization to help a team out whether that’s on the court off the court and I’m I get a chance to step on the court and put on that at the NBA uniform. It’s another opportunity for me to go out there and play as hard as I possibly can, you know, I’ve been where I’ve had injuries in the past.

And I can understand that things can be taken away from you at any moment. So I try to go out there and put my heart out every time I get a chance to so much love to the fans that appreciate somewhere that goes out there and hustles in place as hard as I try to play. So, I’ve got a lot of left for them you definitely hustle. And if you’re hell of a rebounder as well. How’d you get so good at rebounding, they just watch the Dennis Rodman tapes on a loop. Did you have somebody that work directly with you said, okay, you got to do this and that like what led to you becoming an awesome rebounder a lot of the stem for my dad.

So my dad played at the University Oklahoma for like three years during their late 70s early 80s and basketball always been a big part of our life and our family. My brother played as well. And from a young age, we always emphasized rebounding, you know, it’s able to change the game in so many ways. I think positive best for bank is paid and you can really make a good living for yourself. If you’re able to do that in the lead level, which I feel like I do a lot of it comes from studying shots watching film with my own teammates. What could be an effective offensive rebounder studying the flight of opponent’s shots.

So that can be effective defense rebounder. And I think it goes back to that heart and that great kind of conversation where I just wanted more than the guy that’s next to me or in front of me. So, if it’s 5050 with anybody out there. I think I got a really good chance of getting it. So I go in there with that mentality understanding that’s my role on any given team and to try to do that the best that I can every time I go out there. It’s worked for me so far. So I hope that cathay to do that has there been one particular teammate whether you were in college or playing in China the G League and NBA one that pushed you more than others one that you could definitely say, oh man.

Like he really helped me push my game to another level. I’ve been blessed to be able to have some some really great teammates, you know, I don’t know if there’s one particular one, but just the veterans that I’ve been able to play around in Phoenix. I got a chance to plug Leandro Barbosa comes chance to play with Jared Dudley and PJ Tucker through guys who are known for forgetting in their mixing it up and doing a lot of dirty work. And so I got a chance to see them and see how successful they were at the roles and their ability to excel in that role and they just do a bunch of confidence in me to go out there and continue to do that along with guys like Devin Booker and Isla Russell who know the talent that I have and I just constantly just giving me confidence to go out there just continue to work and you know, it’s a long process of marathon not a sprint.

So, no doubt in my mind that I’ll be back where I’m supposed to be one of these days, but I know there’s a process of doing it and I’m really happy right now with that grind mentality trying to try to put the work in and get back to where I thought that belong and you really stood out. Of course in high school and in college. You ended up playing at UCSB and from I understand you weren’t totally heavily recruited, but you ended up going there having tremendous success with it’s obviously parlayed your career in the NBA if I have this correctly? You were still the school’s leading rebounder and scorer of all time.

That’s where our second score. Okay, first a rebound yet for sure Louis not liked it to be in a school that did believe in you and being able does not just like go there and say, okay, you know, I’m gonna spend a year to here, but actually go there have some real success and make your mark. I think it. I mean, I got a chance to be around a great coaching staff led by Bob Williams at UC Santa Barbara malasana. Favorite coach other than my dad obviously, but I know it was just it was amazing. You know, the belief he’s had he had in me from the very beginning when nobody else really saw anything in me.

He saw something and I think it was a that confidence, you know, saying anytime a coach can give you that much confidence to go out there and keep and be honest with you and tell you things that you might not want to hear, but you need to hear you have a chance to be successful. So, I think we had a really good relationship. And I was able to grow in Santa Barbara my game grew so much my body changed so much and every step of the way they were with me and continue to push me to do that. So I can go back now my kids and hopefully one day my Georgie’s hanging up there because I was able to be at a place that really believed in me and it was a good good a two-way street for sure.

You went undrafted, but ended up in the NBA anyway and that takes a lot of perseverance to end up on a roster to be somewhere where you were with the Phoenix Suns for quite a while a lot of people say? Oh man. If you’re undrafted. It’s in their world, but as we all know there’s a lot of players, you know, maybe Ben Wallace is the best. Example doesn’t matter where you end up in the draft it matters, you know, where he end up in actual game and putting the work in how were you able to kind of pick yourself back up after a disappointment of not being drafted and continue to push yourself to NBA level kind of happen.

So fast, you know, on draft day you go on tour with a mindset. I think there was some different scenarios that were in play or maybe could have been drafted, but I think at the end of the day being undrafted and having the choice of about where I kind of wanted to play summer league and the options afterwards and obviously the China thing ended up working out, but I think being undrafted was it was a big thing for me because I wasn’t stuck in some kind of system. I wasn’t stuck going straight to the G League. I was able to have that freedom. So I got the phone call from my agent shortly after I found out.

I wasn’t drafted and at my moment where I was like dang this kind of sucks, but at the same time got on that phone and made a decision to go play and end up all working out. So to all those young guys out there that are really pressured on draft night. I understand that, but being drafted thing is a cool thing to have on a resume. But a cool thing to have on the resume, but it’s not the end-all be-all and it wasn’t the end-all be-all for me. So, I’m really happy that I was able to add that freedom and I think you going undrafted you kind of nothing’s ever a right time to go undrafted, but we’ve seen the growth of basketball over the years, not just an NBA, but beyond the NBA level.

I mean, the G League has really blown up the summer league has blown up, especially, you know, this past summer. You got big three, you know, all the International ball you have, you know, the tournament on ESPN. Do you feel like that kind of growth of basketball helped you after going undrafted because you spent some time with the Suns. He also had a whole lot of success going to China ya know. I think it did. I think the expansion of the game is huge for a lot of players out there that haven’t found the necessary niche yet in the NBA because of the financial opportunities all around the world now.

And I think that’s the biggest part you can make a living without ever stepping foot on the NBA court and the dream was always to get to the NBA anthea today, but you have such a short window in this game of basketball you need to maximize your income as much as best as you can to set yourself up for the future. So, I’ve gone into it with that mindset understanding that obviously and being an NBA would be a great thing, but at the end of the day that the money is really an important factor the financial of the cases or is an important factor on where you play and that kind of thing.

So I think the growth of basketball and just the ability to play literally year round all around the world is really a good thing. And I think that the sport of basketball itself has really grown into something super special. There’s worse ways to make a living, right than playing past a little time and travel absolutely. It’s a leisure activity. I get to I get to do that I get to play a game every day for a living, you know, saying something something that I will play for free now growing up was basketball always a big part of your life or was that was there like another sport or another field you kind of wanted to get into.

No, it’s basketball, you know, I’ve played every sport growing up my parents tried to make me as culturally aware as possible and then threw me and basically everything. And I could never say no. That was one thing I was had to try it out. And I just gravitated towards basketball obviously my height my size was a big factor in that as well. And also my dad playing for at the level he played at and him implement in that basketball kind of mentality and the family early was it was a big thing, but I just have a pure love for it in it than that. And it just seemed like a natural thing for me, so in time I stepped on the court.

It just felt like it was a good place for me. So, the love for the game for me came early and I really didn’t have another sport that I really loved like basketball now your nickname Big Al. I mean, it seems it’s kind of self-explanatory your big big sauce the big sauce came from my brother actually the desolations for a couple of the newspapers back home in Phoenix different comic strips and stuff like that. So when he first started out. He was drawing this comic strip on one of our road trips that we took during college or something like that. And my name was big sauce obviously sauce is a synonym for swag and in stylish that kind of thing.

So I kind of just took it around when he put it on my Twitter one day and I remember we played in at UNLV my junior year and the reporter out there used it in one of the articles and it kind of just stuck and the big sauce was really created right there. And obviously in Phoenix. They gravitate towards it a lot and that I think is awesome. A lot of success. You’ve you’ve played in the CBA and China had a lot of success. What would you say are the biggest similarities and differences between the two for some time. Maybe doesn’t watch, you know, international basketball there’s always catch like the G League I guess so to us fans and why we should check it out.

What does CB air Julie both because there’s a lot of town and by both leagues. Yeah, I think so, too. I think that the CBA has really grown into something really really really nice. I think together a good amount of Chinese players that are good and they’re continuing to grow and the nation of China is really doing a good job will and talent there. And I think they’re fun, a lot of resources and stuff to try to make that leak one of the top tier leagues in the world really. So obviously financially is it’s a good leak for American players and also Chinese players. So, but it’s a tough leak.

You know, it’s physical. It’s gritty and it’s I think it’s fun to watch because do you get a chance to see the American players really go at it because it’s two Americans on the court only two Americans on the team. So you see them go at it. I guess the different tiny players, and I’m two different American players and different international players. So that’s fun to watch and exciting to watch. And then the G League is grown into something that I didn’t even know it could really become and I think it’s a really good thing. And you’re seeing a lot of teams, use it for development of their young players and trying out different things and different schemes.

And I think that a lot of the stars that you’ll see starting to see in the league are gonna be able to have some some G league experience early. So you want to check them out early you might want to do that. So I think it’s a big thing for the NBA to have G league on the on track the way it is now. So, it’s all positive stuff. I know you’re focused on possibly coming back with the Nets, but have you looked into possibly doing the summer league this year. Oh, you know, I don’t know. That’s something that my team that I will talk about down the line obviously, I know is coming up pretty soon, but I’ve played in it two years and I think I’ve showed what I can do in a summer league and the team asked me to play at the end of the day.

I obviously wouldn’t say no, but I don’t have an answer for you right now. Like I gotta talk to my people and try to figure that out. So gotcha now, we have some fan questions here. Before we let you go. Some rapid-fire ones you ready? I’m ready, right? First off, do you play and be at UK 19. I have before, but I’m not very good. What was it like when you saw yourself an inmate’s UK. It was crazy. It was that right after I got back from trying to sign with the Suns and I was on there and it was my face and all the different features and it was the craziest thing in the world funniest player you’ve ever shared a locker room with Jared Dudley.

Do you have any stories are allowed to tell on the air. Yeah. Nod. It’s not like one particular moment where I’m like, oh, he’s hilarious. I think it’s just a dis eternal he lives life in such a positive in good way. And it’s just he’s just joke. So, you know, I mean, he’s these artists cracking jokes. I was making comments and he said he’s a great guy and great gotta have in the locker room. So he’s hilarious, dude, do this fearless -. It’s like you’re you seem kind of rallied around him during that six or series. So I’m you’ve been in the league for 12 years.

I don’t think there’s anything that he hasn’t seen yet. So it didn’t surprise you is chirpin back and forward with those guys. And obviously we were right there rhythm there are some pro tips for people traveling to your hometown of Phoenix Pro tips eat good Mexican food los dos Molinos is very delicious and basically any of the taco joints that you see around the city take a stop in habit Akko or a burrito and you won’t be disappointed also bring water because it’s hot as heck out there right now in Phoenix, but it’s a beautiful place. And I love it. Besides the population obviously biggest difference between plane in Phoenix and plane in Brooklyn.

Oh, that’s a great question. I think the system, you know, I think Phoenix is on track and are doing the right thing. They’re taking the right steps to continue to develop their organization and to back to where it was, but when I was growing up. And I think that was just the biggest differences Brooklyn kinda had that down and that’s why you saw that success in the wins and losses as to where Phoenix I think is developing and like I said on that right track to making that happen. So, obviously the wins and losses were a big part of it, but I just think that’s a testament to where they were Brooklyn has is it a development of their organization as to where Phoenix is trying to get to so at the time we’re recording this, obviously the nets and a lot of teams were prepping for free agency prep and make some major major moves, let’s face it the Nets want to get KD.

They want to get Kyrie or Kauai, you know some combination of those guys. But they also have DeAngelo Russell who could be retained by the team or he could go to a team that CEO meant giving him like a qualifying offer he just shows like a little bit about him that we don’t see, you know, as far as like leadership what he brings to the table and we see on the court the guy can ball out. He’s great had a standout year was an all-star, but what are some things he does that maybe we don’t see. He’s special. He’s really locked in. So from his diet from his sleep habits from like from all those things like during his season.

He’s like he’s these super locked in, you know, he eats, right? He’s in the gym, first type of guy and he leads by example, you know, you want that from your best player to go out there and then show up and then be invested during the summer and hang out with guys and do those things that did too much that leader to do. And I think he sees tremendous at that and any organization and the MBA will be really fortunate to have a plane guard like him on their team. So obviously it’ll be a big summer for him and he’s put in all the work and deserves everything good.

That’s coming this way. So beside your dad biggest sports influence growing up sports influence a great question. I wanna say as my college coach almost as Bob Williams over at UCSB spent 19 seasons there UCSB he broke a down. It was a time after my sophomore year where I was first-team all-conference and I waited almost like 300 and 300 pounds or something like that. And he basically told me like you’re talented, you can play in the NBA you’re good enough to do. So you just got to drop the weight and from then on. I did it, you know, and it ended up working out. And so I think him every time I get a chance to for being honest with me and letting me know what I needed to do in order to be successful.

So that memory there. Definitely has done a lot for me. So that’s awesome. And it was there any athlete growing up. You tried to emulate it all I was big for killing the offense. So Shaq’s from his personality to the style of play to his dominance on the court was what I try to replicate. I’m setting it to the size that he has but I tried to be that kind of presence while I was on the court and dominate the game in the way that he did and I think at a young age. I was able to do that. Obviously, I didn’t get to be 71.

So I had to find another way to try to do things, but always watch the Shaq and just seeing how he operates and how he does it was fun for me as a kid who is the sauciest guy in the NBA besides yourself PJ Tucker. I almost thought about that for a second, but then I was like, there’s no question. It’s definitely PJ he brings so much style on and off the court and he’s really like locked in into the fashion scene in the fashion world. So definitely PJ. What’s the best piece of advice you give anybody whether it be friend a success or just being able to persevere in general like you have work hard stay humble and have fun, you know, it’s got to be something fun.

And with hard work you’ll be surprised at how far you can really get in life people gravitate gravitate towards that people who work hard and have a positive attitude. And don’t get too big on themselves. And I think that’s the three things that I would say are huge is to just stay humble work hard and I have fun? Well, ice were so well. I read you appreciate the time, man. And before we let you go, where can fans find you online Alan C Williams at all platforms a LAN T Williams at all platforms. And yeah, I’m around. So.