NEW YORK — Over eight years since he opened up Barclays Center as the Brooklyn Nets' first star, Deron Williams explained that coaching turnover, injuries and his decimated confidence sabotaged the experience.
"It was tough from a basketball standpoint," Williams said on the Knuckleheads podcast via The Players' Tribune. "For me, looking back, I played for four coaches in 3 1/2 years. As a point guard, you're talking about a point guard who is coming from this system (with the Utah Jazz), that's run perfectly, that's coached perfectly (by Jerry Sloan), and then now I'm learning a new offense with new players every single year. And there was just no consistency. Hard to get into a rhythm."
Williams had ankle problems throughout his stint with the Nets, which included three playoff appearances but fell well short of enormous expectations.
"And then I started getting injured. I started losing confidence. And so it started eating at me," Williams said. "I started losing my love for the game when I was there because it was just like, everything was going wrong."
Williams was traded to the Nets in 2011 as one of the league's top point guards, considered an equal to Chris Paul. He signed a $100 million deal in 2012, just in time for the franchise's move to Brooklyn, and owner Mikhail Prokhorov broke records with a payroll that included contracts for Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
"I don't think I had a problem playing in New York. I don't think that was the problem," Williams said. "Yeah the media was bad and this and that. But the thing with me is, all the things I used to use as fire — my body wouldn't let me get to the point to where I was at. I couldn't be that player I was before. I was getting hurt, getting injured, missing games. I felt like I'm letting people down because I'm missing games. And it was just frustrated."
Williams retired in 2017 at just 33 years old, following a dismal performance in the Finals for the Cavaliers. In retrospect, Williams wishes he appreciated more his time in Utah with Sloan. The breakup there was also messy, with Williams arguing with the coach and pushing the legend into retirement.
"Looking back on it, you don't appreciate stuff until it's gone. I had never really lost in my career. In high school, I lost eight games. My whole college career I lost 15 games," Williams said. "Then I go to Utah and my first year we were 41-41, miss the playoffs by one game, so that was one of my most losses ever. Then after that we won 45 games every year. And I get traded and I go to New Jersey, and I'm like, 'Damn.' "
The plan fell apart by 2014 and Williams was waived a year later following a fallout with coach Lionel Hollins.
