Secondary Break. Marvin Williams

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for his many blessings he has bestowed upon me. I know without his grace and mercy none of this would be possible. I’d also like to thank my mother Ellis Henry Williams and my dad Horace Bennerman Jr for teaching me to say thank you and please. Secondly, I would like to say thank you to Marjorie Waye and her company Savior Publishing, LLC, for helping me to get this project started. Third, I want to thank Jim Tanner and his company Tandem Sports and Entertainment for all the years of love and support they have given to me and my family. Fourth, I’d like to give thanks to Bishop Lawrence Robertson for always encouraging me to be the best person I could be and for teaching me that if you can dream it you can achieve it. Fifthly, I would love to thank my family, Harvey, Jeffrey, Bradford, Terry, Arenda and Tavarish for all the years of love and support. Finally, but not least I’d like to thank Megan Mcgowan at Fulton Books for all of her patience and support throughout this process.

Author’s Note

This book is a work of nonfiction. I have recorded the events faithfully and honestly just as I remembered them. To anyone whose name I did not mention or recall, I offer sincere apologies. While circumstances and conversations depicted herein come from my keen recollection of them, they are not meant to represent precise timelines of events or exact word for word reenactments of my life. They are told in a way that evokes the real feelings and meaning of what was said and my view of what happened to me, in keeping with the true essence of mood and spirit of those moments that shaped my life.

Photo of author with his son

foreword

I crossed paths with Marvin Williams, Sr. many years ago through his mother-in-law, Barbara Phillips. She is a member of the church I pastor and would bring his son and her grandson, Marvin Williams, Jr. to church with her as a youth. I also officiated his wedding to Andrea Gittens, Marvin Jr.’s mother. As I read this book, I reflected on watching Marvin Williams, Jr. play basketball with his friends growing up and imagined that it was with this same passion his father played as a youth in high school and in college. As the adage goes, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Driven by the same desire for greatness as his father, Marvin Williams, Jr. grew up to become the second overall draft pick in the 2005 NBA draft and is currently a power forward with The Charlotte Hornets.

Marvin Williams, Sr. was raised in a time marred by racial inequalities and social injustices, a time where gangs were starting to become ubiquitous and a dismal future was almost certain. He was raised on a shaky foundation by alcoholic parents where the only reliable thing was instability. There were many paths he could go down growing up, but almost all of them were dubious forcing him to instead look within, fueled by passion and the hope of something better for himself and his family. It seems like basketball was the only constant in his life as every path he chose circled back to the sport. He has experienced the pinnacle of every parent’s hopes and dreams, which is to see our children become a great success. His current life dwarfs his modest beginnings. Brought up in a family of sharecroppers, he now rubs arms with the NBA’s elite. Marvin had to wrestle with the disappointment of not realizing his own dreams of becoming an NBA star only to realize that sometimes our dreams are fulfilled through our offspring creating a legacy for future generations, and that is not a disappointment at all.

Marvin Williams, Sr. is a remarkable man whose unrelenting support of his son is beautifully complemented by his humility. Words like tenacity, resiliency and driven come to mind when I think of him. His story is one of triumph and proves it doesn’t matter how you start, only how you finish. He uses his platform to uplift others through his motivational speaking and philanthropic endeavors. This book is a must read for anyone who has ever faced adversity or the disheartening experience of a dashed dream. In concert with the theme of this book, our lives are ultimately like a basketball team. There are many players, and some are on our team and some on the opposing side. There are crowds in the stands cheering us on and others hoping for our demise. This book is a reminder that regardless of what the world thinks of you, it is God’s thoughts of us that ultimately prevail. We just have to keep going, keep trying and keep believing.

Bishop Lawrence Robertson

Senior Pastor, Emmanuel Apostolic Church

President, New Life Community Development Agency—Home of the Marvin Williams Center

Introduction

Four seconds! Run it down. Set it up. Point got it. He’s taking his time, bringing it down and surveying the court. He’s covered tight, and they’re matched up perfectly. They’re both six feet one inch, they are both quick, and they both have a laser-like focus on what’s going on everywhere, even behind them. They are in man-to-man coverage and the point guard is covered. I break away to the top of the key, and he lobs it to me. Four seconds. That’s all. That is the only thing

Скачать книгу

Secondary Break. Marvin Williams

Secondary Break

Table of Contents