Former Celtic Grant Williams publicly thanked Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Former Boston Celtics big man Grant Williams praised Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for for supporting him after facing recent criticism.

Tatum and Brown stood up for Williams when he was criticized for his attitude in the locker room. Before the Celtics faced the Charlotte Hornets on April 1, Williams expressed appreciation for his former Celtics teammates.

“You can’t control people’s opinions or what they say,” Williams told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn in an April 1 story. “It meant a lot to me that Jayson and Jaylen defended me without me asking. It was pretty cool to see that. It showed my true character.”

Williams also mentioned that Mike Gorman’s comments caught him off guard while discussing his time with Boston.

“I had many great years in Boston. I thought I had a strong bond with Mike, and maybe I still do. Maybe he was commenting on what he thought was happening. I always enjoyed watching him and Tommy (Heinsohn) when I first arrived, and now him and Scal (Brian Scalabrine). I try my best to keep up with Scal.

“(Gorman’s comments) definitely surprised me, but there are things they’re going to say and you can’t control. I try to treat people with kindness and concern. It stung a bit, but at the same time, you stay positive.”

Williams was part of the Celtics from 2019 to 2023 before the Dallas Mavericks received him in a sign-and-trade. The Mavericks later traded Williams to the Hornets at the deadline.

Jayson Tatum Refers to Grant Williams as ‘Brother for Life’

After the Celtics defeated the Hornets on April 1, Tatum acknowledged his former Celtics teammate. During his postgame press conference, Tatum explained why there’s nothing but admiration for Williams.

“Grant always got some s*** to say,” Tatum said, according to the Celtics on NBC Sports Boston’s X account. “That’s my brother for life. I don’t talk trash at all, but, if it’s somebody I’m close with, like Grant, I like having fun out there. So it’s always good to see him (and) compete against him, so we just had some fun out there.”

April 1 marked the second time Williams has faced the Celtics since leaving in 2023. The first time was when Williams played for the Mavericks. Boston will play against Charlotte again on April 13.

Grant Williams on Trash Talk With Celtics

During his postgame press conference, Williams discussed what it was like to banter with his former Celtics teammates.

“(Tatum) and (Derrick) White constantly call me a hack. I’m always just like ‘Y’all are hacks. You just don’t get calls for it because you’re superstars,'” Williams said, according to the Celtics on CLNS Media’s X account.

Williams also explained further what he said to Tatum during their exchange.

“I always tease (Tatum) about that because I think he was saying like I was fouling (Kristaps Porzingis) or something. I was just like, hey man, you fouled (Aleksej Pokucevski) and Brandon (Miller) two possessions in a row. They just didn’t call a foul on you because you know, you’re light skinned and you think you’re pretty.”