After finishing his career with the Knicks back in 2004-05, Jerome Williams returned to the Big Apple as part of the BIG3 this past weekend. An NBA veteran of nine seasons, Williams was appropriately nicknamed “Junkyard Dog,” for doing all the dirty work on the court. And while Williams made a career out of doing the little things, he knew a different effort was going to be needed when he hit the hardwood at Barclays Center.
As part of this new 3 on 3 competition, Williams is more at the forefront. Whereas in the past, he could defer to others to score the basketball, the spotlight is on him. Now 44, the man otherwise known as “JYD” could be seen attacking the basket and igniting the crowd with high-flying, electrifying dunks. The big man helped “Power” secure its opening week victory, so the added aggressiveness on offense paid off.
Whether it’s Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden, Williams knows what it means to play in front of a passionate New York crowd. Though the Knicks went 33-49 in his final NBA season, Williams took pride in ending his career in the historic city and always felt the love from the fans.
“It’s a great organization. The fans appreciated you, win or lose, as long as you played hard. It was a great city and I had a great time doing it,” he told KnicksJournal.com. Still, given the team’s continued struggles, Williams agreed the fans deserve more.
“They need a team that they can believe in. One thing about the historic Knicks teams is that they’ve always had staples who have been there for years and built that chemistry. Fans want to get to know these players,” he explained. “Carmelo Anthony has been here for years and stuck by the team through thick and thin. He’s a staple like Patrick Ewing back in the day. He bleeds New York.”
In addition in showing love for Anthony, Williams recognized a big key to the Knicks’ future.
“Then you have Kristaps Porzingis, who may or may not be here. It’s great to bring in young blood and he’s a great complement to Anthony with his long range shooting as a seven-footer. You have to keep building on what you have.”
Williams may understand the value in holding Porzingis in high regard, even if Phil Jackson may not. Still, it’s clear that certain situations could have been handled with more consideration. Jackson’s poor treatment and disregard for his players is sure to discourage players — from the stars, down to the role players and youngsters — from signing with the Knicks this summer.
“If I’m a free agent, I’m seeing that there’s some dysfunction there, just by what’s been said by Phil Jackson about Carmelo. You don’t know how much impact that had on Porzingis, since he missed his exit interview. As a player on the outside looking in, that’s a concern,” Williams chimed in. “I’m saying to myself, ‘what’s going to happen here? Am I going into a volatile situation, or is this organization going in the right direction?’ That’s something that would raise my eyebrows.”
For now though, Williams can focus on the joys of a post-NBA career. He and former Knicks teammate Moochie Norris will take the court for “Power” in North Carolina for week two of BIG3 action on July 2. While he’s getting a new taste of playing again, Williams’ roots never stray far from his dedicated community efforts. He’s currently spearheading the “Shooting for Peace” program as part of the JYD Project.
“Shooting for Peace has gained a lot of momentum with NBA players and legends. They give us testimonials all year. We share in the opportunities to give back to the community and high school students all across the country,” Williams gushed. “We raised over $1.9 million in scholarships through Alabama State University. We’re looking to do it again this year in even more cities.”
“We’re excited to do another Shooting for Peace tour with NBA legends and the Harlem Globetrotters. I hope New York City will have a great one and that they come ready, because us legends are undefeated!”
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