Mavs' Grant Williams Praises 'Selfless' Kemba Walker: 'Best Vet I've Had!'
Just a few days before Christmas in 2019, then Boston Celtics power forward Grant Williams and point guard Kemba Walker took a road trip to play the Dallas Mavericks and came out with a 109-103 victory.
The game, which really didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things — as it was a non-conference mid-month game prior to All-Star break — did have an impact on the pair. Walker had just dropped 32 points and Williams seven, but it wasn't the box score that made that night special. It was the level of chemistry Williams, who was a rookie at the time, felt with his new teammates.
''Our development together is getting better,'' Walker said immediately following the game. ''Chemistry [is] getting better each and every day.''
That season, the Celtics went on to lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat. But while that season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion, Williams held onto the relationship he formed with Walker for years to come.
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"Kemba's one of the best vets, if not the best, I've had," Williams told Emily Austin on The Hoop Chat. "He's a selfless guy. He'll always offer the shirt off of his back for you."
Four years ago, that was true for Williams and Walker in Boston. Walker went on to play for Dallas last season — though only for a few games — in what was seemingly the last season of his NBA career, and Williams has since followed suit, joining the Mavs this offseason via a sign-and-trade agreement involving the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs.
While Williams didn't get a chance to play with Walker one more time, their relationship remains strong, largely due to the time the pair spent living together during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walker was worried about getting his grandparents sick in 2020, so he moved in with Walker and got a chance to spend one-on-one time with him.
"[Kemba] opening up his house for me was honestly one of the coolest and most impactful things he could have done for me," Williams said. "Especially at that time."
Added Williams: "He made sure that [I was training] ... and prepared for if we ever went back, but he also made sure we were comfortable around each other. Whether it was playing board games, video games or [even] giving each other space."
Once the NBA bubble in Orlando resumed, Williams wasn't in close contact with Walker anymore, apart from the time they spent at practice and games, but the bond between them remained.
Williams may not be teammates with Walker on the Mavs this season, but he will get a chance to experience being teammates with other veterans like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. While those names hold a lot of star power, the hope is that they can form a similar bond with their new teammate over the next several years.
And if the chemistry in the locker room for Dallas can be anything resemblant of Williams' time in Boston, he'll likely thrive — which is something the Mavs certainly hope for as they hope to make it back to the playoffs this coming season.
