How a Former Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Helped the Team Entering Offseason

The NBA is a fraternity and it played a huge part in a former Cavaliers head coach assisting his former team.

Jan 16, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown (right) and guard Mo Williams (2) during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Cavaliers defeated the Clippers 102-101. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Regardless of if you're a player or a coach, the NBA is a fraternity. Well, according to Cleveland Cavaliers insider Chris Fedor, that mentality played a huge part in the team hiring Jawad Williams as an assistant coach.

Welcome Home Jawad Williams!

The former St. Edward’s HS standout and Cavaliers player, joins Kenny Atkinson’s staff as an assistant coach. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/qCx43ob0N7

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 18, 2025

In a recent episode of Fedor's show, The Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, he revealed that former Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown, who coached two separate stints in Cleveland, vouched for Williams, helping the Northeastern Ohio native join Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson's staff.

“Mike Brown, I’m told, gave the highest glowing recommendation of Jawad Williams,” Fedor revealed. “When Mike Brown is going to go to bat for a guy like Jawad, Kenny’s going to listen.”

Brown and Atkinson have a connection with one another after coaching together on the Golden State Warriors for several seasons. They formed a deep bond together that resulted in a championship in 2022. So when Brown vouched for Williams, who was on his staff as an assistant in Sacramento, Atkinson and the Cavaliers were more open to the suggestion and eventual hire.

Williams was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and had a stellar career at St. Edward High School. He then went on to play collegiate basketball at North Carolina and was even a member of the 2004-05 team that won the NCAA Championship.

Williams spent last season with the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach and director of player development. Now in Cleveland, Williams will likely take on a similar role with a Cavaliers team that's young and still growing.

After the Williams hire the Cavaliers still have work to do to fill their remaining coaching vacancies. However, starting with hiring a Cleveland native who has experience both as a player and a coach will provide a much-needed perspective to Atkinson's staff.