Since entering the league with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005, Lou Williams has developed into an elite NBA scorer. Despite his elite level of play, he comes off the bench in most games that he plays for, providing instant offense for the second unit. In his 15 seasons in the NBA, he has been rewarded with three Sixth Man of the Year awards for his play.
Even with his play on the court, Williams has often been praised for his work off the court. In the various places that he has lived in during his career, Williams has always helped out in the community. This selfless nature of the guard may have saved his life back in 2011.
On December 24th, 2011, Williams was driving through a neighborhood named Manayunk in Philadelphia. He was on the way home from getting his haircut and was stopped at a traffic light. While at the traffic light, Williams heard a knock on his window and looked up to see a man wielding a gun, telling him to get out of the car. However, once the gunman had realized who it was, he decided that he could not rob the then Sixers guard, because he had too much love for him.
In an appearance on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Williams explained why he didn’t get robbed.
“At that time, me and Meek Mill were doing a lot of stuff in the communities, that particular community. We just had our footprint on it.”
The gunman then proceeded to explain that he had just gotten out of jail, and he didn’t have anything to eat. Williams noticed a McDonalds ahead, so he told the man to meet him there, and he would buy him something to eat. The man got to the fast-food joint on foot, and Williams paid for his food.
On the show, Williams also wanted to clarify false versions of this story. He explained that the story of the man getting in his car, and then eating at the McDonalds with him was completely wrong. Williams simply paid for his food and told him that “this ain’t the way,” before leaving.
Stephen Jackson summed up this incident best.
“But that’s a testament to who you are,” Jackson said. “The fact that you were in the community and they know you’ll be around there, that says a lot about you.�
Williams’s work in the Philadelphia community has earned him the respect of people, including this particular man. It shows us you can be repaid for doing good deeds and helping others.
