Grant Williams watched the Boston Celtics win the NBA title at TD Garden in June.

Williams was in the building to watch confetti rain down on his former team and even made his way to the locker room to witness the celebration. Williams recalled the reactions of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as they reached the pinnacle of their sport, but Williams was particularly pleased with one player who took Williams under his wing during his time with Boston.

“The smile on (Tatum’s) face, (Brown’s) face, (Al Horford’s) face – that’s the person I wanted it for most,” Williams told reporters before the Celtics’ game against Charlotte, according to CLNS Media’s Noa Hornets on Friday Dalzell. “I love Derrick (White) and those guys, but Al, man, he’s my vet. He and Blake Griffin were a huge help to me last year in Boston, just making sure my mind and mental space were in good shape. I will always be grateful to him and his family.”

Many felt like Williams when it came to Horford finally reaching the mountaintop. A respected leader of the Celtics, it took Horford 17 seasons to get a ring.

Williams spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Celtics after the franchise selected him with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He became a contributor off the bench and helped the Celtics reach the 2022 NBA Finals, but was considered an expendable player.

Williams landed with the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade in July 2023, when the 6-foot-2, 220-pound forward signed a four-year, $54 million contract. However, his time with the Mavericks last season was tumultuous, as Williams was in and out of the regular rotation and tensions arose between him and star Luka Doncic. He was dealt to the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline.

The 25-year-old averaged a career-high 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 29 games, but played for the Hornets – Williams’ hometown – compared to the Celtics at the other end of the NBA. spectrum. While the Celtics won the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the Hornets posted the league’s third-worst record at 21-61.

But there was no animosity or jealousy from Williams as he saw his former teammates accomplish the feat without him.

“It was special, man,” Williams said. “Honestly, I didn’t really feel down about leaving Boston. It was one of those where it would have been different if I had been traded out of there, like there was bad blood or something.

“But I was happy for these guys because we hadn’t done it the two years before. I was lucky enough to witness it being completed.”