I’ve never met Monty Williams, yet I love him for the example he has given to me as a man.
He’s so much more than NBA Coach of the Year…I’m not sure I can even articulate it here on the blog.
He’s my Time Magazine Man of the Year given the turbulent times we live in.
This goes beyond what the Phoenix Suns have done on the court these past two basketball seasons. This transcends winning and losing basketball games. This goes beyond getting to the NBA Finals and being the favorite to win it all this season.
To me…Monty Williams is a calming, quieting voice amongst the den of insanity I witness every day in our country.
My wife is a retired dental hygienist. While Monty and his family lived in Oklahoma City…my wife was their dental hygienist. She would come home and tell me these stories about Monty and his family in the hope I could become more like Monty at some point in my life.
I would roll my eyes and tell her to tap it down with the shade. But still listening all the same.
Then the tragic accident happened and like most in Oklahoma City, I began to marvel at this man’s grace and presence in the aftermath of his family’s personal tragedy.
Monty Williams may not know this, but he in a sense has become a mentor of mine even though he doesn’t know me.
Mike Jackson loves Monty Williams. There… I said it. He may not know it, but he has been a part of me and what I hope to be moving forward.
I don’t see Monty Williams as a black man…just a man.
And for that reason… I can’t make Monty Williams my NBA Coach of the Year.
Because for a guy like me at this stage of my life…. Monty Williams is my Man of the Year.
Period.