Jay Williams was a former NBA player who saw action for the Chicago Bulls. While he has long been retired, Williams continues to contribute to the game as an analyst. While Williams has plenty of experience to offer to the table, the former Chicago Bull does get himself in hot water from time to time for his bold statements. Here are Jay Williams' 10 wildest takes, ranked.
10. Jimmy Butler in the same breath as Michael Jordan
Although Jimmy Butler has led the Miami Heat to two Finals appearances, he has yet to win a single NBA championship in his career.
But despite that fact, Williams made a bold claim that the Heat star should belong in the same breath as Michael Jordan, the centerpiece of the Bulls squad that conquered two three-peats. While Butler's playoff numbers can be Jordanesque, putting them in the same level is a stretch.
9. Questioning Zion Williamson's work
Coming out of Duke University, Zion Williamson was expected to be a top star who could take over the NBA. However, since then, the two-time All-Star has yet to make that leap.
Williams took notice of that and went as far as questioning the Pelicans star's desire to put in the work. The statement did raise some eyebrows. However, one must also acknowledge that Williamson has struggled to stay healthy at the NBA level.
8. LeBron James was a second option to Dwyane Wade
So LeBron was a Pippen with D Wade once. Nothing wrong with that until you get over the hump. https://t.co/exAjQ3uOW4
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) September 3, 2020
Fellow analyst Richard Jefferson made a bold claim that Giannis Antetokounmpo might be a second fiddle to a star to win a title, bringing up Scottie Pippen in the process. And boy was he wrong in hindsight.
Unfortunately, Williams also chimed in and claimed LeBron James was the same during his time with the Miami Heat. Williams' claim easily drew some heat, given that James was the Finals MVP during the Heat's back-to-back championship runs.
7. Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't be able to guard Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is in the process of making his mark in the NBA. In fact, it's safe to say that the NBA MVP is already playing at an elite level today when healthy.
But while Embiid has been dominant for the Philadelphia 76ers, Williams fueled the hype by claiming that even Shaquille O'Neal couldn't guard the Sixers star. A lot of basketball fans will agree that O'Neal is on another level and has accomplished far more compared to Embiid's growing career.
6. Knicks-Pacers Game 1 officiating
The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers engaged in a grueling seven-game playoff series in 2024. But as early as Game 1, Williams failed to contain his emotions. At the heat of the moment, Williams didn't shy away from expressing his disapproval of the officiating. Of course, anytime a player, coach, or an analyst talks about the referees, the statements always stir some buzz.
5. Stephen Curry's leadership
In the 2023-2024 season, Draymond Green got himself on the wrong end of the headlines after collecting some ejections. There's no question that Green's antics were drawing some negative reactions from basketball critics.
But instead of targeting Green, Williams opted to target teammate Stephen Curry for not being able to control Green as a leader. Of course, Green is a perfectly independent adult, who should've been capable of handling himself without the babysitting of Curry.
4. Nikola Jokic as the best big of all time
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were nearly unstoppable during their championship run in 2023. In fact, Williams bought in so much to Jokic's greatness to the point that he boldly claimed that the Serbian big man is the best big man ever, at least offensively.
While Jokic does deserve a case, it's hard to ignore the likes of accomplished centers such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, and even Shaquille O'Neal.
3. Calling on NBA players to step up and play amidst a pandemic
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The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the entire world as it wreaked havoc by taking lives and displacing nearly everyone's lifestyle. The pandemic also affected the NBA, forcing the league to suspend the 2019-2020 season.
Early on, at the wake of the pandemic, Williams claimed that LeBron James and NBA players should have stepped up to play at least in vacant arenas to continue the season with the hopes of giving people an escape from the pandemic.
The statement received polarizing views, given that players are humans too. Furthermore, at a time when the virus was taking lives, it's safe to say that basketball shouldn't even be a priority in the first place.
2. Defending Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving found himself in hot water after promoting anti-Semitic material on social media. But while Irving found himself surrounded by critics all over the world, he did find an ally in Williams, who defended the NBA champion. While Williams tried to clear the air, the player-turned-analyst also received some flak to the extent of receiving some death threats.
1. Failing to fact-check in relation to Ime Udoka
Arguably the craziest statement made by Jay Williams was a tweet congratulating then Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka, by referring to him as the first head coach of color for the franchise. Since then, the tweet was deleted by Williams, as he claimed that he was hacked.
Nonetheless, Udoka wasn't the first head coach of color, as that honor belonged to Bill Russell. Furthermore, Doc Rivers was also responsible for leading the Celtics to a title in
