October 31, 2008: Welcome to the Inaugural Deron Williams Fan Club meeting. We are pleased to see so many of you at such short notice on this historic day. Welcome, proud Deron Williams fans!
[Pause for booming, two-minute applause.]
Before going in-depth about Deron Michael Williams—as I’m sure you all don’t need much priming in that respect, ha ha—let us first set the ground rules of this most venerable society. Remember, as a Deron Williams fan, you will do your best to embody Deron Williams in all ways possible in your daily life. Our rules are strictly based on the very principles that Deron employs on the court night in and night out.
First, you are an underdog. A lot will be said until a championship is finally brought to Utah, so be prepared to be considered second fiddle. There are several big fish in the pond, but more obstacles make for more motivation.
Second, you will share. You will always help others to make the group stronger. The time to get yours will come when others least expect it. Trust in the power of the group.
Lastly, and most importantly, you will never lose sight of your goals. Be confident and continue striding toward those goals. You may face unlikely odds and harsh criticism, but you can never let them faze you. Your preparation, determination and focus will allow you to control any situation.
Of course, the fundamental difference between us Deron Williams believers and fans of other players is just that: Belief. Don’t be confused: this society has no dogmatic principles nor any fantastic parables. We believe in facts. Deron Williams improved from a player barely considered one of the 50 best in his high school class to a consensus Top-10 player in the world. This point guard exponentially elevates his achievement trajectory every season, defying every naysayer, exceeding every expectation. This is no mistake.
We believe Deron will accomplish still more impressive feats. Stats be damned, we feel there is no point guard more fit to lead a team to a title. Now, to conclude the inaugural Deron Williams Fan Club meeting, I bring you a special guest to whom you may ask questions. Without further ado, I bring you the one and only—watch those jaws, the floor’s not clean—Deron Williams!
SLAM: Talk about how things have gone for you since the end of last season.
DW: Things have gone very well. I got a chance to be on the Olympic team. I was definitely honored by that. I had one of the better experiences of my life going to represent my country, my family, my organization and having a chance to compete for a gold medal. And I got to experience playing on the same team as 11 of the best players in the world. The friendships I formed with some of the guys will last for a lifetime.
SLAM: But did you not have a lot of time to work on your game because of all that?
DW: I think I had a lot of time to work on my game. Like I said, I played with 11 of the best players in the world for two months. I don’t think there’s any better way to work on your game than that. Every day, competing against LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd…you can’t simulate that in any summer you ever have.
SLAM: What’s your mindset when you’re at practice? Do you treat practice differently than you do games?
DW: I always take practice serious. I’m the leader of this team. I’m not practicing right now because I’m injured, but I definitely practice serious. I’m a leader on this team, I got to bring it every day. I’m not taking any days off because if guys see me taking days off, they’re going to feel like they can take days off. So I have to try to keep guys ready every day, keep guys sharp. Practice is the time you get better.
SLAM: You were named Second-Team All-NBA after last season. You’ve been to the Western Conference Finals. But you’ve yet to make it to the All-Star Team. Does that make any sense to you?
DW: Not really. I just try to play it out. I have no control over that. I just try to keep winning. Get my team to the Playoffs. All that will take care of itself.
SLAM: Do you set goals at the beginning of the season?
DW: Yeah—to win a championship. That’s my goal every year. I really don’t set individual goals. If I’m a point guard of a team, and my team is winning, and I’m playing well—which I have to do for our team to win—all the accolades will come with it.
SLAM: If you do win that championship, what goals are there beyond that?
DW: I’ve already won an Olympic gold medal. That’s the only thing I can think of that competes with that. I’ll just try to win another (championship).
SLAM: What are you most proud of off the court?
DW: My family. I have a lovely wife and two beautiful daughters.
SLAM: Bruce Weber was recognized as a great college coach when you played for him at Illinois. Jerry Sloan is a great coach in the NBA. How did those two influence your career in different ways?
DW: Coach Weber helped me out a lot. When he came in my sophomore year after Bill Self left, and I got used to his motion offense, it helped me take off. He let me play with a lot of freedom, and my confidence just soared through the roof that year. I went from averaging 6 points per game to leading the team in scoring at 14. Coach Weber just helped me expand my game a lot. He’s been a great coach and a great mentor. He’s still a guy I can call and talk to on the phone about things if I’m struggling, in any aspect of my life.
And then Coach Sloan, he is a different type of coach. College coaches are generally different than NBA coaches. College coaches, you’re around them all the time. You go over to their house and eat. This is a different situation. But Coach Sloan has been great for me. He made me work hard my rookie year. Made me learn some things about myself. He didn’t hand me anything. He made me earn everything I’ve gotten today.
SLAM: Some would say you’re a coach on the court. Do you consider yourself a guy your teammates can take advice from?
DW: Yeah, I try to be the extension of the coach on the floor. The point guard is the leader of the team. It’s your job to keep everybody happy, to know the different guys on the team and how to react in certain situations. Like I said, just keep everybody together.
SLAM: Do you try to keep your emotions in check on the court?
DW: Yeah, I try to be pretty much even throughout the game no matter what’s going on. I try to be a steady influence on the court.
SLAM: Is there a reason why?
DW: That’s just how I’ve always been. After a big play, I don’t get too excited because you still have the next play to worry about. You can’t just focus on one play.
SLAM: You signed an extension this summer. You’re going to be in Utah the next four years. Was that an easy decision for you?
DW: Yeah, it was easy. The team that gave me a chance—took a chance on me, gambled on me, traded up to get me—and we have a great team here. A great chemistry, a great coach. There’s no reason to leave here.
SLAM: Your game has improved every year. What accounts for that the most?
DW: Self-motivation. Hard work. I put in a lot of work and a lot of time in the gym in the offseason. I always try to come back a better all-around player every year. A lot of that is experience. Every year you get better and you get smarter. You figure out different things.
SLAM: Does that help boost your confidence as well?
DW: Yeah, I think so. That’s a big part of it also. Confidence is definitely key for me. If I have confidence in what I’m doing and the coach has confidence in me, it makes my job a lot easier.
SLAM: But I’m interested in where that confidence comes from. You brought your team to the Conference Finals as a sophomore in the NBA. You call all the plays. You trust in every decision you make. How do you summon the confidence to do this?
DW: That’s just me. That’s who I am. I guess some people are born with it and some people aren’t. I always thought I was better than what people gave me credit for, still today. I was watching TV, and Stephen A. Smith just called me De-RON. People don’t know my name even still. It’s just baffling to me. That’s how it goes.
SLAM: When it’s all said and done, what kind of legacy do you want to leave on the game?
DW: I want to be one of the best point guards to ever play the game. That’s my goal. Hopefully, I got a couple championships under my belt. I’d be disappointed if I didn’t, but I still want to be one of the best players to ever do it. Hopefully, I’ll have my jersey hung in the rafters next to John Stockton and Karl Malone.
SLAM: When injured in the beginning of the season, you got a chance to see your team from the sidelines. Are there some weaknesses with this roster?
DW: We need to get better in some areas. Defensively, we still need to get better. We still got to be consistent. We got to figure out if we can win on the road because that was a problem for us last year and definitely something we have to cure this year if we want to win a championship. To get home court advantage is going to be the key in the Playoffs this year with how tight the West is.
SLAM: Finish this sentence: Deron Williams cannot _____.
DW: …miss any more games or practices. [Laughs] I cannot win a dunk contest. How about that? But I could win a three-point contest with Kyle Korver.
SLAM: Have you, or are you just talking?
DW: Just talking.
SLAM: Have you gotten any new tattoos since entering the League?
DW: Not any new ones, but I did some re-work to them, added some things.
SLAM: What’d you add?
DW: Just some shading and stuff. Nothing big.
SLAM: Speaking as a fellow Illinois product, I can say that in college, all your teammates were on Facebook. Are you on there?
DW: Definitely not.
SLAM: Why not?
DW: It’s just too much. I don’t have time. I got kids.
—
Ryne Nelson is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @slaman10.
Portraits by Scott Council
