November 11, 2024 • 11 mins
Ziaire Williams has a new start in the NBA after being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to Brooklyn. Ziaire talks with Carrino about his upbringing as a military kid, playing with Bronny James in high school and why education is still so important to him this day.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
How do you view coming to Brooklyn right now? I mean,
you're a guy highly touted at high school. You had
an interesting college career that we'll talk about, but your
tenth pick overall in Memphis where they got this up
and coming team. But now you find yourself in Brooklyn.
What is this for you? How do you view this
(00:33):
for you?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Man? This is a new opportunity. Man, I feel like
I'm almost being reborn again. I'm super excited. This culture
here is amazing. It's been great vibe since day one.
I'm learning a lot. I've gone so much better even
the month I've been here. So it's the new beginnings.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Man.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I'm super excited and humble for this opportunity, and I'm
just ready to go out there and show what I've
been working on.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, what is it like coming to a city like
New York? You're an LA kid growing up? Has that
been It's I'm sure it's a little bit of culture
shock if you're when you're coming from Memphis, for sure,
but you're an LA guy. I mean, is it is
it just a different vibe?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, It's it's definitely different. You know. I just can't
just help to just think about home. Alone for whatever reason,
I'm outside walking around just like the movies, just constantly.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Plaza.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
But no, it's this the Big Apple, man. You know,
this is it's sense of a just a great opportunity
and a great place to play.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It's a big market, big lights, and that's what I love. Man.
So I'm I'm just happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So let's go back through to Lancaster, California. What is
it like living in Lancaster, California?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Man, the complete opposite of here, I'll tell you that, man, desert,
middle of nowhere.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I was gonna say, it's not a coastal place.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Right yeah, you know, no, no, no live bodies of
water out there, man. You know, it's uh, we got
just great. It's a great community, man, just not a
lot of opportunity, right so you know every year I
try to throw a basketball camp out there. You know,
still trying to plan some more things in the future.
But uh yeah, it's tough growing up out there, man,
(02:15):
it really is. You know, there's a lot of distractions,
and you know, when you're bored and you don't have
anything to do, people are just going to fall back
on things are not supposed to be doing. Right. So
I feel like that's kind of the environment I was,
but I grew up in. But luckily for me, you know,
I had an amazing family, a god fearing family that
you know, always provided for me and looked out for me,
and you know, paved the way for me. Just to
(02:36):
keep my head on a straight shoulder and you know,
just worry about the right things.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Your parents should in the military.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
They were, Yeah, not anymore, but they definitely were.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So when you were growing up, were they still Were
they already out? No, they were.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
When I was growing up, they were still in military.
My dad was in the Marines, my mom was in
the Army finish off Air Force. So probably when I
was about maybe fifteen sixteen, OK, maybe a little bit younger,
maybe did.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
You have to move around or was that so?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah? I always stayed in the same place. If mom
and dad were gone, now to go to Grandma's all right,
but it is now?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Are they coming from a military background where your parents
very strict?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Oh? Yeah, man, for sure. If I came home with
anything under a bee, I was getting my butt. I
wasn't playing no basketball. Man, if my chores weren't done,
you know, they definitely were strict, but you know it
definitely helped me to become the man I am today.
For sure.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Now it's just you right, only child, so that's another
tough thing, right is always on you right now?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
For sure. I used to beg every Christmas Birthday bag please,
I want to brother says, I used to put up
my Christmas never got it.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Well, who did you have to play play ball with? Though?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Like?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Where did the where did basketball start to come into
your life?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah? So, man, when I was little, uh, my uncle
Sulis rest in peace, he passed away with my first year.
He was the first man to put a ball in
my hand. We would just mess around on like a
little Fisher Price rim or. We would go outside in
the park. And then as I got a little older,
me and my dad started hopping middle school elementary school
(04:14):
gates in the morning. Just we'd have a gym to
play in. So we just got it done. And he
means a park, you know, elementary schools, whatever the case was.
And then when I got to like twelve, I was
old enough to go to twenty four hour fitness so
we would play there six am, late nights. You know.
He had a crazy work schedule and still always found
(04:34):
a way for me to get some training this. So
definitely my dad and my uncle. Man, those are the
two biggest basketball influences I'll ever have for sure.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
What was your team? Who were the guys you rooted
for when you were a kid.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
In the NBA. Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, man, I
was wherever he at Lebron fans, So you know, I
spent some years with the Cavs with the heat.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
That's a lot of guys in your generation now were
about the players. They followed the team shirt.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Sure you know this the NBA. Man, one day guys here,
one days there, Like, I don't know, I just I
just see. He was just a great player to me.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
So so yeah, I mean, listen, you're not You're not.
There's a millions of stories like that around the country,
around the world. You now go for your senior year
of high school, you transfer to Shierra Canyon and you're
playing with Bronni James. So Lebron is one of the
dads of the team. I mean, what was that like?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Man, it was definitely a trip. Man.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Is that a reason you might have that you went No, actually.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Was there before they were even there?
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Okay? She got there.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, but Noah, man, it was like he was just
a Bronni man. He's just a great, humble young man.
It's just crazy, how like the the effect that Lebron
has just on like basketball in general. Man, Like everywhere
we went it was just fans chasing the buses and
just chaotic. Like I give Brownie all the props and
(06:03):
respect in the world, man, because to deal with that
your whole life, I could even imagine it.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I had just one year of it and I was
damn near worn out with it. So he handles it
really well. Lebron's a great guy, you know, show love
to us, came to games, talked to us in practice
as much as he could, staying with Dwayne Wade.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So you're Wade his son was on your team.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
He was on our team as well, and still talks
to both of those guys a lot. And yeah, man,
it was a fun year.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So you almost had like you're almost getting doctrinated into
professional basketball at that point.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh for sure. I tell people all the time. The
amount of attention and media we had that my senior
year was more than I've ever had in the NBA
by far. Like it was nine and day. It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
And you emerged as I think I think it was
the LA times you were California Player of the Year.
So even with all that star power of the team,
you were the star. Uh. Now you go to college,
but it's COVID, right, It's it's Stanford. You're you're the
biggest recruit Stanford's ever got, and you stay in California?
What led you to Stanford and you know one year COVID,
(07:12):
What was that experience like for you?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah, so the whole Stanford decision, man, was literally just
just trying to prepare myself for life after basketball. For me,
I grew up a nerdy kid. I did robotics and
science limpiad and all the tech geeky stuff. So, you know,
one of my passions to start my own venture capital
one day firm, and you know, going to Stanford and
(07:35):
you know, having that alumni network behind my back was
a great head start for me to start that. So
that was why I really went there. You know, the basketball,
I feel I could have played basketball anywhere. You know,
I've been blessed with just a versatile game. I could
kind of just be a glue guy and fit in.
So I wasn't really worried about too much about that,
but just COVID in general. Man, it was crazy. Never
(07:57):
had a real class there, never met a real student
in person, you know, didn't any teachers. Like, it was crazy.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Ever played in front of a crowd, and the crowds.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Man, we were lifting and like the football concourse outsigned
with like bands because the gym wasn't open, and we
were putting a tape on the tennis courts and just
trying to just figure it out. Man, it was a
crazy time.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
It's crazy. And so now now obviously you know one
year and you know you're going to be a high
draft pick, so you come out. Sounds like to me,
would you consider at some point when you're playing days
you're done and getting your degree.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Absolutely actually signed a lifetime scholarship to the point where
if I did leave early, I can always come back
and I promise my mom as well. So can't break
that one.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yeah, I mean it sounds like that. Sounds like the
way to go for you. Too bad. When when the
Nets had Jared Allen, he was big on making his
own computers and things.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Wow, great, yeah, yeah for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
But now you're you know, you find yourself in the league,
and you've had some injury issues. I mean, I'm sure
that held you back a little bit. But where do
you where do you need to be right now? Like
what are you looking forward to working on that can
get you maybe at another level in your NBA career?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Right? I feel like the biggest thing for me, man,
is just mastering the simple things. Just being a knockdown,
catch and shoot guy, locking down the best defender every night,
cutting off the ball, you know, doing the things I
can't control, right, being the energy guy with something starting
or coming off the bench, just doing focusing on all
the little intangibles to you know, help this team have
(09:38):
a winning culture. And then you know, as I master that,
then you know I'll come off with dribble, handoff or
pick and roll or whatever the case is. But you know,
this summer, I really just been focusing on my body
first and foremost, and then literally just mastering the simple
things catching, shooting, shooting off the move, you know, just
cutting and finishing over the ram, finishing through contact and
(10:00):
just making a simple place.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Yeah, and like you said, trying to just trying to
you know, a rebirth for you, right, try to get
a new opportunity here, and it's going to be like
that for everybody. You know, Jordi Jordi Fernandez, your new
head coach. He kind of says, you know, nobody is
guaranteed anything right now with this team, and that's got
to be a good feeling for a young guy like you.
(10:23):
It's not you're walking into some kind of higher archy,
for sure. It's like if if I show up and
play well in practice, like I could be rewarded, be rewarded.
That's great. Well, we were look forward to watching you
this year. Thank you so much. What are you looking for?
What you're Brooklyn like right now? Like, are you you
have family staying with you or you.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Are your own mom? Man? I have my mom and
my girlfriend helped me get settled in, but you know, mom, dad, parents,
a little bit of FAMI. They'll visit every once in
a while, but you know it's long. Flame.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Will you explore the city though on your own? Things
like that?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yeah? Maybe you know. I'm a I'm a real home
body man, like I need my daily nap the crib.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
But it's a city that never sleeps though.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Sir, definitely, But now when I have fam out here,
I definitely will Man tour. I've been trying to find
good food spots for him. I'm a real, real big
food junkie, so.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That's not hard to find. Man.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Make sure, literally, there's so many spots.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Make sure you get some pizza. Yeah, for sure, Zaire
and Williams. Thank you so much, Man for having me.
How do you view coming to Brooklyn right now? I mean,
you're a guy highly touted at high school. You had
an interesting college career that we'll talk about, but your
tenth pick overall in Memphis where they got this up
and coming team. But now you find yourself in Brooklyn.
What is this for you? How do you view this
(00:33):
for you?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Man? This is a new opportunity. Man, I feel like
I'm almost being reborn again. I'm super excited. This culture
here is amazing. It's been great vibe since day one.
I'm learning a lot. I've gone so much better even
the month I've been here. So it's the new beginnings.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Man.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I'm super excited and humble for this opportunity, and I'm
just ready to go out there and show what I've
been working on.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, what is it like coming to a city like
New York? You're an LA kid growing up? Has that
been It's I'm sure it's a little bit of culture
shock if you're when you're coming from Memphis, for sure,
but you're an LA guy. I mean, is it is
it just a different vibe?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, It's it's definitely different. You know. I just can't
just help to just think about home. Alone for whatever reason,
I'm outside walking around just like the movies, just constantly.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Plaza.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
But no, it's this the Big Apple, man. You know,
this is it's sense of a just a great opportunity
and a great place to play.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It's a big market, big lights, and that's what I love. Man.
So I'm I'm just happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So let's go back through to Lancaster, California. What is
it like living in Lancaster, California?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Man, the complete opposite of here, I'll tell you that, man, desert,
middle of nowhere.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I was gonna say, it's not a coastal place.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Right yeah, you know, no, no, no live bodies of
water out there, man. You know, it's uh, we got
just great. It's a great community, man, just not a
lot of opportunity, right so you know every year I
try to throw a basketball camp out there. You know,
still trying to plan some more things in the future.
But uh yeah, it's tough growing up out there, man,
(02:15):
it really is. You know, there's a lot of distractions,
and you know, when you're bored and you don't have
anything to do, people are just going to fall back
on things are not supposed to be doing. Right. So
I feel like that's kind of the environment I was,
but I grew up in. But luckily for me, you know,
I had an amazing family, a god fearing family that
you know, always provided for me and looked out for me,
and you know, paved the way for me. Just to
(02:36):
keep my head on a straight shoulder and you know,
just worry about the right things.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Your parents should in the military.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
They were, Yeah, not anymore, but they definitely were.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So when you were growing up, were they still Were
they already out? No, they were.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
When I was growing up, they were still in military.
My dad was in the Marines, my mom was in
the Army finish off Air Force. So probably when I
was about maybe fifteen sixteen, OK, maybe a little bit younger,
maybe did.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
You have to move around or was that so?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah? I always stayed in the same place. If mom
and dad were gone, now to go to Grandma's all right,
but it is now?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Are they coming from a military background where your parents
very strict?
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Oh? Yeah, man, for sure. If I came home with
anything under a bee, I was getting my butt. I
wasn't playing no basketball. Man, if my chores weren't done,
you know, they definitely were strict, but you know it
definitely helped me to become the man I am today.
For sure.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Now it's just you right, only child, so that's another
tough thing, right is always on you right now?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
For sure. I used to beg every Christmas Birthday bag please,
I want to brother says, I used to put up
my Christmas never got it.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Well, who did you have to play play ball with? Though?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Like?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Where did the where did basketball start to come into
your life?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah? So, man, when I was little, uh, my uncle
Sulis rest in peace, he passed away with my first year.
He was the first man to put a ball in
my hand. We would just mess around on like a
little Fisher Price rim or. We would go outside in
the park. And then as I got a little older,
me and my dad started hopping middle school elementary school
(04:14):
gates in the morning. Just we'd have a gym to
play in. So we just got it done. And he
means a park, you know, elementary schools, whatever the case was.
And then when I got to like twelve, I was
old enough to go to twenty four hour fitness so
we would play there six am, late nights. You know.
He had a crazy work schedule and still always found
(04:34):
a way for me to get some training this. So
definitely my dad and my uncle. Man, those are the
two biggest basketball influences I'll ever have for sure.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
What was your team? Who were the guys you rooted
for when you were a kid.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
In the NBA. Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, man, I
was wherever he at Lebron fans, So you know, I
spent some years with the Cavs with the heat.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
That's a lot of guys in your generation now were
about the players. They followed the team shirt.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Sure you know this the NBA. Man, one day guys here,
one days there, Like, I don't know, I just I
just see. He was just a great player to me.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
So so yeah, I mean, listen, you're not You're not.
There's a millions of stories like that around the country,
around the world. You now go for your senior year
of high school, you transfer to Shierra Canyon and you're
playing with Bronni James. So Lebron is one of the
dads of the team. I mean, what was that like?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Man, it was definitely a trip. Man.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Is that a reason you might have that you went No, actually.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Was there before they were even there?
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Okay? She got there.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, but Noah, man, it was like he was just
a Bronni man. He's just a great, humble young man.
It's just crazy, how like the the effect that Lebron
has just on like basketball in general. Man, Like everywhere
we went it was just fans chasing the buses and
just chaotic. Like I give Brownie all the props and
(06:03):
respect in the world, man, because to deal with that
your whole life, I could even imagine it.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I had just one year of it and I was
damn near worn out with it. So he handles it
really well. Lebron's a great guy, you know, show love
to us, came to games, talked to us in practice
as much as he could, staying with Dwayne Wade.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So you're Wade his son was on your team.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
He was on our team as well, and still talks
to both of those guys a lot. And yeah, man,
it was a fun year.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So you almost had like you're almost getting doctrinated into
professional basketball at that point.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh for sure. I tell people all the time. The
amount of attention and media we had that my senior
year was more than I've ever had in the NBA
by far. Like it was nine and day. It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
And you emerged as I think I think it was
the LA times you were California Player of the Year.
So even with all that star power of the team,
you were the star. Uh. Now you go to college,
but it's COVID, right, It's it's Stanford. You're you're the
biggest recruit Stanford's ever got, and you stay in California?
What led you to Stanford and you know one year COVID,
(07:12):
What was that experience like for you?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah, so the whole Stanford decision, man, was literally just
just trying to prepare myself for life after basketball. For me,
I grew up a nerdy kid. I did robotics and
science limpiad and all the tech geeky stuff. So, you know,
one of my passions to start my own venture capital
one day firm, and you know, going to Stanford and
(07:35):
you know, having that alumni network behind my back was
a great head start for me to start that. So
that was why I really went there. You know, the basketball,
I feel I could have played basketball anywhere. You know,
I've been blessed with just a versatile game. I could
kind of just be a glue guy and fit in.
So I wasn't really worried about too much about that,
but just COVID in general. Man, it was crazy. Never
(07:57):
had a real class there, never met a real student
in person, you know, didn't any teachers. Like, it was crazy.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Ever played in front of a crowd, and the crowds.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Man, we were lifting and like the football concourse outsigned
with like bands because the gym wasn't open, and we
were putting a tape on the tennis courts and just
trying to just figure it out. Man, it was a
crazy time.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
It's crazy. And so now now obviously you know one
year and you know you're going to be a high
draft pick, so you come out. Sounds like to me,
would you consider at some point when you're playing days
you're done and getting your degree.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Absolutely actually signed a lifetime scholarship to the point where
if I did leave early, I can always come back
and I promise my mom as well. So can't break
that one.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Yeah, I mean it sounds like that. Sounds like the
way to go for you. Too bad. When when the
Nets had Jared Allen, he was big on making his
own computers and things.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Wow, great, yeah, yeah for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
But now you're you know, you find yourself in the league,
and you've had some injury issues. I mean, I'm sure
that held you back a little bit. But where do
you where do you need to be right now? Like
what are you looking forward to working on that can
get you maybe at another level in your NBA career?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Right? I feel like the biggest thing for me, man,
is just mastering the simple things. Just being a knockdown,
catch and shoot guy, locking down the best defender every night,
cutting off the ball, you know, doing the things I
can't control, right, being the energy guy with something starting
or coming off the bench, just doing focusing on all
the little intangibles to you know, help this team have
(09:38):
a winning culture. And then you know, as I master that,
then you know I'll come off with dribble, handoff or
pick and roll or whatever the case is. But you know,
this summer, I really just been focusing on my body
first and foremost, and then literally just mastering the simple
things catching, shooting, shooting off the move, you know, just
cutting and finishing over the ram, finishing through contact and
(10:00):
just making a simple place.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Yeah, and like you said, trying to just trying to
you know, a rebirth for you, right, try to get
a new opportunity here, and it's going to be like
that for everybody. You know, Jordi Jordi Fernandez, your new
head coach. He kind of says, you know, nobody is
guaranteed anything right now with this team, and that's got
to be a good feeling for a young guy like you.
(10:23):
It's not you're walking into some kind of higher archy,
for sure. It's like if if I show up and
play well in practice, like I could be rewarded, be rewarded.
That's great. Well, we were look forward to watching you
this year. Thank you so much. What are you looking for?
What you're Brooklyn like right now? Like, are you you
have family staying with you or you.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Are your own mom? Man? I have my mom and
my girlfriend helped me get settled in, but you know, mom, dad, parents,
a little bit of FAMI. They'll visit every once in
a while, but you know it's long. Flame.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Will you explore the city though on your own? Things
like that?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yeah? Maybe you know. I'm a I'm a real home
body man, like I need my daily nap the crib.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
But it's a city that never sleeps though.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Sir, definitely, But now when I have fam out here,
I definitely will Man tour. I've been trying to find
good food spots for him. I'm a real, real big
food junkie, so.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That's not hard to find. Man.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Make sure, literally, there's so many spots.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Make sure you get some pizza. Yeah, for sure, Zaire
and Williams. Thank you so much, Man for having me.
Host
Chris Carrino
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.