Everyone knows the Deron Williams era with the Utah Jazz did not end well. Jazz fans know that full and well, even if they have since forgiven D-Will for how it all ended. However, Williams admitted something that goes against the most common negative Jazz narrative: he was stoked to start his NBA career in Utah.
During his appearance on "Out the Mud," Williams explained why he was pretty excited to be picked by Utah with the No. 3 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
“That was probably the place I wanted to land. I felt like basketball-wise it was the best situation, because there’s not many times where you’re a third pick in the draft and you go to a team that has talent,” Williams said.
Williams then singled out some of his former teammates he was going to join when the Jazz drafted him, like Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, and Matt Harpring. Really, when you think about it, that team lucked out from an injury-riddled season and simply needed a centerpiece.
Ergo, D-Will...
Williams was excited for not just the Jazz, but Utah itself
There's some validity to the claim that players don't want to play in Utah. In fact, by his own admission, Williams was excited to play for a team like the Jazz because they already had all the ingredients of a playoff team around. However, Williams added that it wasn't just the Jazz he was excited for, but also Utah as a state.
"I was actually happy to land in Utah. Plus, I had a kid. I had a girlfriend. So, it was a good situation for somebody like me to go to. It ain’t a party city, you know. Keep you right, you know. Good place to raise a family. So yeah, I loved it," Williams said.
Williams has praised Utah before and, last we checked, he still owns property in it. Even if it didn't end well, clearly, it left an impression on him.
Williams even singled out Jerry Sloan
Even though Williams and Sloan had a well-documented tense relationship, Williams went out of his way to say that playing under Sloan's tutelage was the best thing for his career.
“[It was] the best thing for my career and for me as a player. And I think going to that team and playing for coach Sloan was the best thing for me,” Williams said.
The real shame of it is that if Williams had stuck around, his legacy might have been good enough to earn his name a place in the rafters. Maybe that's not out of the question, and there's a reason why many have pushed for the Jazz to get a D-Will replacement.
That wasn't just because of how good he was, but because he's embraced Utah for over two decades.