In a recent interview, former NBA star Lou Williams shared a hilarious story from his time with the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams revealed an incident where he played a game while still feeling the effects of a wild night out.
The story takes place during a noon game against the New York Knicks. Williams, who had partied late into the night, arrived at the arena still feeling the effects of his escapades.
“I got to the arena, and I’m drunk as hell,” Williams recounted. “Mind y’all, I come off the bench, so I got about eight minutes to get my sh*t together.”
When head coach Doc Rivers called Williams’ number, things didn’t go smoothly. After turning the ball over twice, Williams made a bold decision to come clean.
“I walked up to Doc and said, ‘Doc, I’ll tell you the truth. I’m drunk as f*k. I went too far, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do this sht.'”
Rivers’ response was both unexpected and memorable. Instead of benching Williams, Rivers looked him in the eye and said,
“You’re playing the whole second quarter because I need you to sweat that sh*t out. Because I’m going to need you in the fourth quarter.”
Williams, determined to make up for his earlier mistakes, ended up scoring 25 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Clippers to a crucial victory.
This clippers Knicks lou Williams doc rivers story so crazy lol pic.twitter.com/CeqqyQHkTn
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) November 20, 2024
Rivers’ decision to keep Williams on the court, despite his condition, paid off in a big way. Even though the situation was pretty chaotic, his ability to think outside the box and adapt to the situation helped everyone on the team.
