Monty williams family

Tavares Montgomery Williams is an American professional basketball coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Williams played for five NBA teams during a playing career. Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams said his wife Lisa no longer monty williams family breast cancer in a recent interview. Williams, whose first wife, Ingrid, died in a car crash inwas ready to take at least one season off to spend more time with his wife and. They welcome three daughters: Faith, Janna and Lael, as well as two sons, Elijah and Micah. Monty and Ingrid tied the knot in and were.

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He knew this was someone worth holding on to. Ingrid wanted to take it slow. One afternoon he asked for a goodbye kiss after she walked him to practice and she pecked his cheek. A few days later she tippy-toed up to do it again and Monty pivoted. Neither of them had much money, so date nights were at the dorm.

Pizza from the basement snack bar, Corn Nuts and soda from the vending machines, then sit and talk. That summer he stayed on campus, while Ingrid went back home to Michigan. They wrote letters, hers arriving in envelopes covered in colorful drawings. At the time he was just a smitten year-old. The day of the memorial happened also to be the NBA trade deadline.

So Sam Presti, the Thunder general manager, told the rest of the league that he had his own deadline, at 1 p. He ended up dealing two players that day, D. Augustin and Steve Novak. Both still showed up with their wives at Crossings Community Church, along with nearly a thousand others. Family and friends, of course, but also women from the ministry where she volunteered.

Local police. A contingent from the Spurs, including Popovich, Duncan and David West, who flew in on the team plane even though they played later that night in L. Carlesimo and Kevin Durant , along with the whole Thunder organization. Monty williams family Members of the Pelicans—the team that fired Monty as coach less than a year earlier—folded themselves into a row.

A little after , Monty walked to the dais, wearing a black suit and tie, his shaved head gleaming. At 6' 8", and still fit at 44, he looked young enough to be a player. Then he took a deep breath and looked up. Van Gundy wondered if it was a good idea for Monty to be speaking publicly. Monty had long been a pessimist, given to despair at times, and this could be too much.

Others wondered if—even hoped that—he would condemn the other driver , as a coach calls out a player. He looked around the room but his only audience was his five children. He needed to show the way. But it will work out because God causes all things to work out.

How many times had she told him that. Now, Monty listened to a doctor tell him he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A thickening of his left ventricle. Irregular heartbeat. Potentially fatal. All Monty heard was No more basketball. Not now, not next year, not ever. Anger and depression consumed him. He pulled away from his teammates, his coaches, even Joyce. He got in fights.

Punched through walls. He thought about transferring or dropping out, and at one point he even entertained the thought of taking his own life. If anything, they spent more time together: walking the campus, past the lake, stopping to pray at the Notre Dame Grotto.

So he poured himself into prayer, if for desperate, selfish reasons. Never convenient, never for show. Every week she disappeared for hours at a time in the afternoon. Finally, he asked where. As an athlete, Monty had been taught to perform charitable acts for the camera. But here was Ingrid, a young black woman, caring for an old white one, not for the cameras or a pat on the back.

When he asked Ingrid why she did it, she looked at him funny. Monty was floored. For a while he accompanied her. Began to find his faith becoming more authentic. And then, in , a Notre Dame trainer told him about an experimental test to determine if he could play with HCM. Five days of poking and prodding led to a final, frightening test.

Trigger an arrhythmic episode. You and your mom need to sign this waiver. What choice did Monty have. In his mind, there was no Plan B. In his mind it was basketball or nothing. Five doctors stood around the bed, just in case. Hours passed. Monty drifted in and out of consciousness.

When he awoke, a doctor warned him not to sit up, or a vein could burst. Then he said there was something Monty should know. Mn twins odds to win world series He was O. Not just O. He could play ball again. Monty sobbed. He had his life back. And can you blame him if his pride returned with it. He averaged But Ingrid?

She never changed, not really. When he got the head job in New Orleans, she was eight months pregnant with Micah and yet she seamlessly integrated into another community. They worked at a shelter for abused kids, donated shoes and equipment to the poor.

Ryan Anderson tries to move forward after girlfriend Gia Allemand's suicide. Monty stresses that Ingrid was by no means perfect. She could be stubborn and headstrong. She could cut you down with one look. And good luck changing her mind once she was set on an opinion. Like in , when Gia Allemand, the girlfriend of Ryan Anderson, committed suicide, and Ryan was the first one to find her, at her apartment.

The coach dropped to his knees, unsure what to do, and began hugging Ryan, rocking slightly. Back home, Ingrid had already taken control. So she and Monty sat with him in the family room, praying. And so he did, on a mattress next to the couch. When Ryan wanted to talk, they talked.

When it was quiet, it was quiet. Just listen. That Monty could do. Monty williams family He was the coach who had players over for dinner. The guy sharing his own mistakes. To ask people around the league about Monty is to have your calls returned immediately, to have people cry on the phone, to hear a string of testimonials.

Most had lots of advice; few wanted to listen. Fewer still shared the hiccups in their own life. Which is why when Durant needed advice last summer, while trying to decide whether to sign with the Warriors, he called Williams. A man most recently employed by the team he was considering leaving. Your family or your boys or your shoe company.

A lot of people keep their mind in this basketball bubble and he looked at the whole life. He was there for me as a friend first. All those people who flew out for the service. Still, most had no idea what to expect when he spoke. Watching in the audience, Presti tried to keep it together. He had been the first to receive a call on the night of the accident, awoken at 2 AM by the hospital pastor.

Presti had first met Monty in , when they were both with San Antonio. Both men had moved on but, as with so many, remained part of the Spurs family. So Presti had thrown on some clothes and hurried to the hospital. This was on my watch, and I had to live up to the standard that Pop expects of us all. Pop saw him as a role player.

Pop also noticed a darkness to the young man. Bible study with David Robinson and Avery Johnson. In particular he bonded with Duncan, the player he would come to hold up as the standard as a teammate and a leader. A man who became so close with the Williams family that he coined a nickname for Ingrid on account of how she juggled the kids and everything else, and always put Monty in his place: Legend.

Then, before the season, the Spurs let Monty go. He ended up sitting on his couch in June, crying as he watched San Antonio celebrate the first of five titles, filled with regret. In the years that followed, Monty and Popovich stayed in touch. Despite what Monty may have thought, Pop always liked the young man, thought he was intelligent and a hard worker.

See if you like it. Soon enough, Pop slapped a label on him: coaching intern. Meanwhile Pop, a sucker for projects, pushed Monty to take chances, try new stuff. He introduced him to different foods, talked to him about politics and reveled in cursing around Monty, who never cusses.

Monty learned what so many others already had. Once you joined the Spurs you were in for life, as long as you operated by certain principles. It was never about you. Pay it forward. Basketball is important, but not as important as family and relationships. In June the Spurs won their third title, the one that had eluded Monty as a player. As the confetti fell, he stood behind the bench, part of the team but still feeling like an outsider, when he felt someone tackle him from the side.

He turned to see a grinning Pop. Afterward, as players celebrated and Ingrid brought the kids onto the court, Pop and Monty embraced at midcourt. It felt like a crowning moment. But in this case, not long after the Pelicans lost to the title-bound Warriors in the first round, Monty was fired. Monty came out in a T-shirt and spoke for four minutes. He said a lot, thanking the city for its support and the ownership for the opportunity, but one line stood out.

And now here was Monty, a guy who always expected the worst, confronted with about the worst situation imaginable. What led to all those packages and letters, the ones that continued for half a year, flooding the Thunder offices. What led Popovich to decide that he needed to show the eulogy, in its entirety, to his players.

And that family needs prayer as well. It is very hard. Monty paused as some in the crowd chuckled. I know exactly where my wife is. But those who were there describe a stunned silence. David West turned contemplative. I could not believe that a human being could muster the control and command of his feelings and at the same time be as loving and magnanimous.

The theme at the heart of the speech—-forgiveness—was simple, and not unique. Still, the effect was profound. Maybe it was that, for a message steeped in faith, it never felt preachy. In the weeks that followed, video of the memorial spread, and the reaction was immediate. Donations poured in to Faithworks, the nonprofit Ingrid believed in so much, from strangers, from a half dozen teams, from players Monty had never met.

Meanwhile, concerned friends offered help. All those people he and Ingrid had poured into over the years. On the exterior, he may have appeared strong, and in control. He was supposed to be sleeping next to his wife, or watching film, or on the road with his team. Instead he was here, alone and overwhelmed.

How in the world is this my life. The morning of Feb. Ingrid was already downstairs, conquering the morning. While many NBA wives contracted out the more mundane duties of parenting, Ingrid would not consider hiring a cook, a cleaner or a nanny. On game nights she bundled up the kids and brought them to the arena, but only after their homework was done.

He was preoccupied anyway, at home preparing for the next Thunder opponent as Lael, his eldest, watched TV on the couch with Elijah. It was Faith, calling her sister. This is what the police know: A little after 8 p. A sedan driven by a year-old woman named Susannah Donaldson approached from the opposite direction.

During the preceding hours, toxicology reports would show, Donaldson had taken a substantial amount of methamphetamine. Police also believe she may have been cradling a dog on her lap. By the time she approached the block of South Western Avenue, she was in the left lane, going more than twice the posted limit of She swerved to avoid the car in front of her, sending her vehicle across the center line.

Donaldson and the dog died at the scene. The Williams family was rushed to a hospital. In the days that followed, local TV reporters stood by the road, grim-faced, noting the dark burn marks staining the asphalt, the spray of glass, debris lying on the side of the road. The newscasts showed photos of Ingrid and Monty together, her face frozen in that familiar smile, and her at a Thunder game.

Interviews rolled with NBA coaches and players. They are difficult to watch, warned a reporter. Monty clung to the fact that the children all survived, and without life-threatening injuries. For a while it seemed Ingrid might too, but the following afternoon she slipped away, at the age of Friends and family descended.

Gregg Popovich, his longtime mentor, reached out immediately. Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson, players he was close to on the Pelicans, in town to play the Thunder, came to the house to sit with him. He knew people meant well, but he just wanted everyone to leave. Either that or to flee himself. Frustration and anger consumed him.

The Lord could do anything. Why did three of his kids have to suffer through that. Now a lot of people were mad. Rivers certainly was. He wanted to prosecute someone. Seek justice. The other woman was the one who stole a life. How could you not be mad. Monty focused on just making it through the memorial service, on Feb. South Dakota.

Just hunker down and disappear. First, though, he had to survive the week. He wished Ingrid were there. She always had. They met in , at a freshman mixer at Notre Dame. Monty was tall and skinny, with short hair and sleepy eyes. She was tiny, with dark hair, an electric smile and catlike brown eyes. The girl drinking water instead of beer.

The one not afraid to talk about her faith, right off the bat, but who never proselytized. To be on the outside who she was on the inside. So what did Monty do. Like an idiot, he acted too cool, trying to play the role of the big—time hoops recruit. He even tried to set her up with a buddy instead. He was raised by his mom, Joyce, a strict, devout woman who worked as a data entry clerk.

Still, he was well-liked and grew into a formidable small forward, fluid and athletic, averaging 30 points and 16 rebounds as a senior and leading Potomac High to the Class AAA state championship. He also graduated with a 4. And yet Monty says he was putting on an act.

Inside he was prideful, self-critical and prone to bouts of darkness. And when he prayed, what did he pray for. An NBA contract and fast cars. For a young man who could go days without seeing a white face, who barely read a book a month, Notre Dame was a shock. Plato, genetics, philosophy, calculus?

He just wanted to play ball. She hung up. But a few weeks later he saw her on campus and did the smart thing: apologized. The next time they saw each other, at a party, they spent the whole night talking. Next came joint study sessions. Though really, it was more like Ingrid teaching Monty how to study.

Lay your books and notes in a semicircle, left to right. On breaks they took long walks around campus. She told him about her brother and her parents, blue-collar folks who worked in the automotive industry back in Michigan. She became his anchor in an unfamiliar world.

Slowly, his test scores rose. It would be the first of many times she would save him. Who gets to college and immediately falls for a girl. What a rookie move. He knew this was someone worth holding on to. Ingrid wanted to take it slow. One afternoon he asked for a goodbye kiss after she walked him to practice and she pecked his cheek.

A few days later she tippy-toed up to do it again and Monty pivoted. Neither of them had much money, so date nights were at the dorm. Pizza from the basement snack bar, Corn Nuts and soda from the vending machines, then sit and talk. That summer he stayed on campus, while Ingrid went back home to Michigan.

They wrote letters, hers arriving in envelopes covered in colorful drawings. At the time he was just a smitten year-old. The day of the memorial happened also to be the NBA trade deadline. So Sam Presti, the Thunder general manager, told the rest of the league that he had his own deadline, at 1 p.

He ended up dealing two players that day, D. Augustin and Steve Novak. Both still showed up with their wives at Crossings Community Church, along with nearly a thousand others. Family and friends, of course, but also women from the ministry where she volunteered. Local police. A contingent from the Spurs, including Popovich, Duncan and David West, who flew in on the team plane even though they played later that night in L.

Carlesimo and Kevin Durant , along with the whole Thunder organization. Members of the Pelicans—the team that fired Monty as coach less than a year earlier—folded themselves into a row. A little after , Monty walked to the dais, wearing a black suit and tie, his shaved head gleaming. At 6' 8", and still fit at 44, he looked young enough to be a player.

Then he took a deep breath and looked up. Van Gundy wondered if it was a good idea for Monty to be speaking publicly. Monty had long been a pessimist, given to despair at times, and this could be too much. Others wondered if—even hoped that—he would condemn the other driver , as a coach calls out a player. He looked around the room but his only audience was his five children. He needed to show the way.

But it will work out because God causes all things to work out. How many times had she told him that. Now, Monty listened to a doctor tell him he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A thickening of his left ventricle. Irregular heartbeat. Potentially fatal. All Monty heard was No more basketball. Not now, not next year, not ever. Anger and depression consumed him.

He pulled away from his teammates, his coaches, even Joyce. He got in fights. Punched through walls. He thought about transferring or dropping out, and at one point he even entertained the thought of taking his own life. If anything, they spent more time together: walking the campus, past the lake, stopping to pray at the Notre Dame Grotto.

So he poured himself into prayer, if for desperate, selfish reasons. Never convenient, never for show. Every week she disappeared for hours at a time in the afternoon. Finally, he asked where. As an athlete, Monty had been taught to perform charitable acts for the camera. But here was Ingrid, a young black woman, caring for an old white one, not for the cameras or a pat on the back.

When he asked Ingrid why she did it, she looked at him funny. Monty was floored. For a while he accompanied her. Began to find his faith becoming more authentic. And then, in , a Notre Dame trainer told him about an experimental test to determine if he could play with HCM. Five days of poking and prodding led to a final, frightening test.

Trigger an arrhythmic episode. You and your mom need to sign this waiver. What choice did Monty have. In his mind, there was no Plan B. In his mind it was basketball or nothing. Five doctors stood around the bed, just in case. Hours passed. Monty drifted in and out of consciousness. When he awoke, a doctor warned him not to sit up, or a vein could burst.

Then he said there was something Monty should know. He was O. Not just O. He could play ball again. Monty sobbed. He had his life back. And can you blame him if his pride returned with it. He averaged But Ingrid. She never changed, not really. When he got the head job in New Orleans, she was eight months pregnant with Micah and yet she seamlessly integrated into another community.

They worked at a shelter for abused kids, donated shoes and equipment to the poor. Ryan Anderson tries to move forward after girlfriend Gia Allemand's suicide.