Nate Williams carries himself with a presence and attitude that is wise beyond his years.
The 27-year-old has given the Golden State Warriors a boost in a handful of games since joining the team in February on a two-way deal from the G League’s Long Island Nets.
On Saturday, he scored a career-high 19 points against the Atlanta Hawks. He has scored in double figures three times in 10 outings with Golden State after posting five such performances in his 47 NBA games.
“Nate’s been great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Williams’ big game on Saturday night. “He’s a really good young guy. Very coachable. He’s got a live body, you can see he can score in the paint … he’s got a good touch.”
The Warriors are Williams’ third team in parts of four seasons. He plays tough and doesn’t back down from anyone on the floor.
Off the court, he speaks with the same presence about the journey that has brought him to this point in his career. Williams went undrafted out of the University at Buffalo in 2022 and has bounced in and out of the G League while trying to carve out his place in the basketball world.
His journey to the Warriors quickly went viral after a game against the LA Clippers earlier this month when he was asked what it was like to guard All-Star swingman Kawhi Leonard.
“He bleeds just like I bleed,” Williams said after the March 2 game. “I don’t fear no challenge.”
A few moments later, Williams explained where his competitive mentality comes from.
“I fear God,” Williams said. “That’s the only man I fear. And I’m from Rochester, New York, in the backstreets. So, if you go in my neighborhood, you will know why I’m this way.”
The Athletic recently caught up with Williams to discuss his journey, his faith and what it’s been like to pick Stephen Curry’s brain and call him a teammate.
This obviously isn’t your first time in the league – but being on this team in this moment, knowing what you’ve gone through to get back to this stage – what is it like for you?
NW: It’s amazing. But I say it’s all glory to my savior, Jesus Christ. Without him, I wouldn’t have made it back. Without him, I’m nothing. The way my life went from growing up to now – without Jesus, I wouldn’t be anything. So, that’s the biggest thing for me, is God, for sure.
How did you develop such a strong relationship with your faith?
NW: It started when I was a kid and kind of got away from it as I got older. Not like not believing, just I didn’t study as much, study Christianity as much, read the Bible. I got away from it. But now I grew up, and I went through a lot of trials and tribulations. I read my Bible daily, and it’s really shaped my life and changed my life for the better.
As I’ve talked to people through the years that have developed that relationship with their faith, usually they have that moment of clarity when they want to learn more. Did you have a similar experience – did something push you to that point?
It’s many things that happened, but one thing that I can say in particular is when I got waived from Houston. I was kind of living a sinful life, I can say for myself. And I just had to revert back to my roots, get back to the Bible and fix my faith for sure.
I don’t know how much you’re on social media …
Not at all.
What you said the other night in your first game with the Warriors resonated for a lot of people. I think it was about Kawhi – but you said, “He bleeds the same blood I do.” Where did that mentality come from, where you get to that point no matter who the competition is?
Honestly, I never feared anybody, you know what I’m saying? I grew up in a really, really tough neighborhood, where I had to get into fights. I’ve always been scrappy my whole life. So, I don’t fear no man. No man shakes my heart. The only man that shakes my heart is Jesus Christ, and I stand by that dearly.
I went to school in Syracuse. I’ve been in and out of Rochester many times, but I haven’t seen every part of the city. You said in that first news conference that there was stuff you had seen growing up in Rochester that has shaped how you feel about stuff. What is it about growing up there that is different?
It’s a lot different. Where I’m from, in my neighborhood west side of Rochester, there’s shootings every day. Robberies, fights, brawls – seeing people get stabbed, seeing people die. So seeing those things kind of made me have a different outlook on life. So that turns back to my faith. Now that I’m really in my faith, it’s just such a blessing that God put me through all these things. And to bring me here to have a platform to even talk about it.
Rochester is obviously part of your story – but when you said what you said the other night about the city, how often in the last few days have you heard from people that you grew up with?
Me personally, I’m not that type of guy. I don’t do the fake love, you know what I mean? Just because I’m doing good or I had a good game, now people want to text me. Or if I’m saying something about Rochester, this is just who I am. At the end of the day, this is me. I love my city. I’m glad I’m out of my city because there’s a lot of stuff in my city that I don’t really agree with. Put the guns down. But I don’t really respond to people with stuff like that. The people I know, the people I love, I definitely respond to them.
Of course, the people that I know that I really love, they hit me like, “Yo, thank you for putting on for the city.” Because that’s who I am, and that’s where I come from.
In the last few years, as you’ve faced ups and downs in and out of the league, who is part of that inner circle of people who you lean on for support?
First of all, my wife. My wife has been with me through thick and thin, so first of all, her. And obviously, the man upstairs, number one — God. And then, my friends from high school. I got two friends in particular, they know who they are. They’ve been always hitting me (in messages), always with me every day in our neighborhood, just always together. So, those guys in particular.
And my guys in college (Buffalo) too. My college roommates. They push me through a lot. It’s guys who know who they are. I don’t have to speak names, but they know who they are. The ones that I love and the ones that showed true genuine love to me.
Everybody who gets to this stage goes through their own journey to get there. Now that you’re back in the league, how often do you think of all the things that got you back to this point?
No, because God put me here for a reason. So there’s no need to reflect on that. God is always going to put you in the position that you need to be in. He never makes mistakes. Even if you’re going through tough times, he’s not making a mistake. He’s right there with you. So that’s something that I had to learn by reading my Bible. When I was going through sin and going through all these things, God was calling my name. It was just up to me to answer.
I’m sure there are a lot of guys in the G League right now who see your story and are like wow!
I could do that too. And I believe ’em. But it’s also a work ethic that I have that’s different from a lot of people.
What do you think separates that from a lot of people?
That’s what separates (me). That’s what God blessed me with. That’s my talent. God blessed me with a work ethic. I work hard – extremely hard. Like, I work harder than anybody. I don’t care who it is. I know I do. I’m in the gym every day, all the time. My work ethic is what separates me for sure.
How much pride do you take that by getting back to this point, you’re motivating a lot of guys who are still there – guys you were just playing against in the G League?
That’s honestly a blessing, because this is what we’re called to do. We’re called to inspire people. And that goes back to what I first said, it starts with your faith. If you have faith, you can do anything you put your mind to. That’s the biggest thing for me: faith.
I know that you’ve spent some time in Napa. What’s it like playing for the pro team that is closest to Napa?
It’s a blessing. It’s crazy because the timing of it all is just crazy. I just had a baby. We were in New York, in Long Island, and me and my wife, on short notice, we just packed up, left and got back to California where we live. In the offseasons, we live there. I’m based in Napa. So, it was just crazy how it all worked out.
What is it like having such a life-changing event like having a baby and trying to balance the professional part of what you’re doing?
It’s fun. It’s tough at times because you miss your kid and you want to see your kid, but it’s fun. I enjoy it. I’m enjoying the process, and I know I can do it. Like I said, God can never put you in a situation you can’t handle. I know I can do it.
What is your favorite part so far of being a dad?
I already have a daughter that’s seven years old now. But this one, it’s a different situation, and I love it because I’m able to just see my kid whenever I wake up and whenever I go home. I just come home to my kid. That right there alone is the best thing I can ask for – just seeing my kid whenever I can, whenever I want to.
What is your favorite part about being in the league?
Honestly, I have no favorite parts about being in the league. I think the league is the league. I love it because it’s the highest level of competition, and that’s what I am – I’m a competitor. And that’s what I want to do, I want to compete at the highest level. So, that’s a blessing I get to compete at the highest level. I think the league is full of a lot of things that I don’t agree with, but I love being in this environment. I want to make my career here for sure.
When you say there’s stuff you don’t agree with, what do you mean?
There’s a lot of politics and stuff like that, but that’s not something that I get into. It’s just what it is.
We’ll close it here. A lot of guys who make their way here, they get to this team and they look out on the floor and see Steph and they’re “I’m his teammate now and I grew up watching him.” I know you haven’t gotten a chance to play with him yet because he’s been hurt, but what has it been like for you to be around him and pick his brain a little bit?
It’s a blessing. It goes back to the little kid you. (Smiles). It’s like, ‘Damn, I used to watch him in the finals all the time.’ It’s crazy, but he’s a person like I am, so it’s just great to have conversation and dialogue with somebody that you always looked up to.