Mental Health Awareness: Don’t Go it Alone
NBA star GRANT WILLIAMS is also a passionate mental health advocate, using his platform to advocate for supportive conversations. In this impactful talk, Williams shares the actionable strategies he uses in his life and work, as well as a motivational message for audiences looking to create supportive teams and workplaces.
Leading from Where You Are
Professional basketball player GRANT WILLIAMS made headlines as a rookie, being called a “high-energy Renaissance man” in a glowing Forbes profile, and has made his mark as a leader in his first years in the league. As VP of the Players Association, an award-winning mentor, and finalist for the Celtics Teammate of the Year Award, Williams shares an empowering message about leading from where you are to make a major impact on your team, organization, and community.
Strategize Like a Champion
Trailblazing NBA Player GRANT WILLIAMS is one to watch in the world of basketball, and a powerhouse personality in front of an audience. A relentless overachiever, Williams is the two-time SEC Player of the Year, and shares with eager audiences the strategy-based thinking he uses to dominate any problem – applicable on the court, in business, and in life – with planning, humor, and the mindset of a winner.
STEM Education & Equity
Drawing on his personal experience, NBA player GRANT WILLIAMS shares inspiring advocacy for STEM, representation, and educational equity. A longtime proponent for STEM, Williams told Sports Illustrated, “I’ve always been interested in just exploration and seeing what there is in life right now.”
The NBA’s Grant Williams is a leader in STEM, modeling his strongest role model
NBA player GRANT WILLIAMS is a self-described “nerd” and strong advocate for STEM education, inspired by his mother’s career as a NASA engineer.
Williams has paired with TD Bank and the Boys & Girls Club to celebrate STEM education programming with a new dedicated facility paid for and installed by the Celtics. At the opening, Williams told the kids, “Through this new room, some of you might take an interest in STEM. Maybe one of you might be a NASA engineer, like my mom.”
Forbes calls trailblazing NBA star Grant Williams 'A High-Energy Renaissance Man'
Consider this quote from Forbes magazine about trailblazing NBA star GRANT WILLIAMS: "Williams does have an amiable presence and the IQ he brings to the floor is evident off it. When he was playing at Providence Day High School in Charlotte, he was being recruited by both Harvard and Yale and could have gone to either. He ultimately went to Tennessee, taking up mechanical engineering as a major, keeping up with his mother, Teresa Johnson, who is an engineer at NASA." He plays chess, piano and violin and since he is so respected by his fellow players, he was recently elected vice president of the NBA Players Association.
Trailblazing NBA player Grant Williams is establishing himself as a leader when it comes to supporting mental health awareness
GRANT WILLIAMS is making an impact, on and off the court. When he was invited to address an audience of young players at the Rookie Transition Program, he surprised them with his insights – working with a mental health professional made a huge difference in his game. The VP of the Players Association encouraged the rookies to invest in their mental wellbeing, balancing practical takeaways with major motivation. In a candid and inspiring talk, he shared his own struggles: "There's going to be times in the league where you feel like it's you against the world,” adding, "Not every story is like mine. But to be able to say you came out on the other side is amazing."
The league’s Senior VP of Player Development, Jamila Wideman, called him "an incredible storyteller" with a good sense of humor and a willingness to be vulnerable. Rather than toughing it out alone, Williams suggested the players try different things in order to figure out what makes them happy and confident. Wideman said, “Grant is the first to ask guys questions when he gets in there. He's the first to bring them and invite them into what looks like more of a conversation."
Watch Grant Williams share mental health strategies with LEAD, Inc. >>
Grant Williams is a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics who was drafted 22nd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. Prior to the NBA, Williams was an All-Southeastern Conference player as a Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior at the University of Tennessee. He was awarded back-to-back SEC Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player to do so since Corliss Williamson in 1995. He led Tennessee to a #3-seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and #2-seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. He is recognized by most Volunteer fans as the greatest player in Tennessee history. In 2021, Williams was appointed VP of the NBPA and won the Bill Russell National Mentor of the Year Award. Grant mentors 6 young men in the Boston area and works directly with a program www.mentoring.org.
Yet, his basketball accomplishments make up only a fraction of who Williams is. Williams is a former chess champion, a math wiz, and a savant who downloads hundreds of game applications to his phone to pass the time. Grant majored in supply chain management with collateral marketing and graduated from Tennessee in just three years.
Grant has a deep love for outer space. His mother Teresa Johnson is an electrical engineer who’s been working for NASA for years. In addition, Grant is a fashion enthusiast and has his own line of merchandise that can be purchased on his website here. At only 22 years old, Grant is a rising star in the NBA and has a bright future ahead of him.
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