Jeremiah Williams Felix Joyner interview on Toronto G League

In my Jeremiah Williams Felix Joyner interview for MILLIONS, Williams described sleeping in his car at Delaware Park in Buffalo before signing with an NBA agent and a Toronto Raptors G League team. He also explained how faith helped him through academic probation in New York and how his mother’s advice preceded a surge of basketball offers. Away from the court, he said he had recently bought a house and was doing the renovations himself.

How did Jeremiah Williams start playing basketball in high school?

Jeremiah Williams said he picked up basketball in high school, began taking it seriously as a junior and initially considered himself the worst player on his team. Before basketball became his focus, he spent his time skateboarding and dancing. Embarrassing mistakes in games pushed him to practice his handle and footwork.

Skateboarding before basketball

Williams and his friends used skateboards, bikes or roller blades to get around the city. He practiced tricks, including kickflips, and said his natural athleticism helped him improve. Skateboarding was still part of his life when he began watching his uncle, Tori Jackson, play basketball.

Learning to handle the ball after AAU mistakes

A friend’s father started an AAU team with some of the city’s top players, and Williams joined it. He recalled getting steals and reaching the fast break, only to miss layups hard off the backboard while teammates laughed. After several games like that, he started working alone without a rim, repeating ball-handling combinations and footwork patterns.

By the next season, he felt secure with the ball but still struggled to score. He then practiced connecting his moves to a finish. Williams described that progression as a series of specific problems to solve, rather than an instant transformation into a scorer.

How did Jeremiah Williams get basketball offers after watching Tori Jackson?

Jeremiah Williams said watching his uncle Tori Jackson play at Notre Dame gave him a clearer reason to pursue basketball. Later, when Williams worried about having no offers, his mother urged him to play as though someone were watching. He said roughly 20 offers followed his next tournament.

Tori Jackson at Saginaw Buena Vista and Notre Dame

Williams had watched Jackson play at Saginaw Buena Vista, even during the years when skateboarding occupied much of his own time. Seeing his uncle earn a full scholarship mattered more once the family visited Notre Dame for a game. The band, student section and crowd showed Williams what college basketball could mean, and hearing Jackson introduced made the opportunity feel attainable.

His mother’s advice before a summer tournament

Going into his senior year, Williams said he felt defeated by the lack of offers. He wanted to play basketball and believed he could compete at the Division I level. After one tournament, he came home upset and told his mother what was troubling him. She reminded him that he could not know who might be watching.

At the next tournament, he said, he approached every possession with that possibility in mind. He credited that change in approach with the offers that followed. Williams also emphasized the role of his wider community: even people who did not know the details of being a student-athlete knew how to encourage him.

What advice did Jeremiah Williams give players seeking basketball offers?

Jeremiah Williams urged young players to develop a dependable skill, work on weaknesses and treat missed shots as information rather than a reason to make excuses. He said the process requires consistent practice and a clear vision. In his view, players can find opportunities through different styles if they understand what they contribute.

Williams pointed to shooting, defense, rebounding and shot-blocking as examples of skills a player can sharpen. He also included being a reliable teammate and captain. His point was that a player should bring a recognizable strength to each level while continuing to address the parts of the game that need work.

He drew that lesson from his own early practices. Handling the ball solved one problem, but it did not make him an effective finisher; he had to add that part deliberately. Williams argued that frustration after a miss is less useful than getting into the gym and identifying what to improve.

Why did Jeremiah Williams face college academic probation in New York?

Jeremiah Williams said a disputed submission of a religion paper caused him to fail a class during his first semester at a private college in New York. His GPA fell below the eligibility threshold, and he went on academic probation. The experience brought self-doubt during an already difficult transition from Indiana.

The paper Williams said he submitted

Williams said he had been a 3.8 GPA student at his school in Indiana and was earning strong grades after arriving in New York. The religion assignment was a 15-page paper worth 80 percent of the class grade, with a 10 percent deduction for each day it was late. He said he submitted it online, but eight days later his professor told him she had not received it.

According to Williams, there was no record of the submission. He said the resulting grade caused him to fail the class despite his earlier B-plus, and he recalled coaches discussing whether to send him home. The episode left him anxious about both school and basketball.

A summer invitation to church

While taking summer classes, Williams met a fellow student who invited him to church. He put off the invitation for much of the summer, then went before returning home. There, he said, he learned more about prayer and reading the Bible and began developing a relationship with God.

Williams said prayer and reading helped him feel less anxious and build connections with professors, the athletic department, teammates and coaches. He also recalled dealing with injuries while feeling tense from stress. He went on to graduate and said his college experience was his most meaningful one because of the faith he found there, not solely because of basketball.

How did Jeremiah Williams go from homelessness to a Toronto Raptors G League deal?

Jeremiah Williams said he spent two weeks sleeping in his car near basketball courts at Delaware Park in Buffalo. After playing well in a local tournament, he signed with an NBA agent based in Toronto and a Toronto Raptors G League team. He described the shift from the park to living and training in Toronto as extraordinarily fast.

Two weeks at Delaware Park

After college, Williams took a year away from playing and focused on growing closer to God. He said he was still working but had no clear plan when he became homeless. Parking near the courts let him spend late nights playing basketball and praying. He spoke about that period as part of his faith story, without suggesting that it had been easy.

The Buffalo tournament and Toronto contract

Williams said he played well in a small Buffalo tournament and signed with the agent the next day. He then signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors G League team and moved to Toronto. In his account, he went from sleeping in his car to a downtown high-rise condo and practicing at the Toronto Raptors facility several days a week.

He also recalled having a personal trainer and meals provided. Williams did not describe the change as something he had mapped out after graduation: he said he had not planned to play professionally. For him, the experience reinforced both his faith and the lesson his mother had given him about showing up ready.

What did Jeremiah Williams say about faith and showing up every day?

Jeremiah Williams said faith should shape more than an athlete’s plans for success. He spoke about examining selfish motives, praying and recognizing his need for God. For players hoping to advance, he returned to his mother’s advice: bring your best to each possession because an opportunity may come from someone you did not expect.

Williams said he believes people can pray about many parts of life while holding back the areas in which they are greedy or selfish. He described that tension as a reason he needs God, rather than a problem he has already solved. His comments connected the faith he developed in college with the way he now thinks about his choices.

When I asked him for one thought to leave with viewers, Williams repeated the line he had carried from his mother’s advice:

You never know who's watching

He applied it to both his scholarship and his professional contract, saying someone had been watching at each stage. Williams said he wanted athletes to bring their best every time. He and Joyner also discussed putting the phrase on a T-shirt; Williams said he already had a design in mind.

Who is Jeremiah Williams?

Jeremiah Williams is a basketball player whose profile lists player development with @truthsports.us and player management. His profile also lists DET, CHI and LA.