Former NBA head coach Monty Williams admitted he’s been an “emotional trainwreck” of late.

Those emotions have nothing to do with being nearly two years removed from being an NBA head coach, although he appears open to returning to the sideline in the future. It has everything to do with his son, Elijah, who was selected for the annual Nike Hoop Summit game, and will play college basketball at Baylor University.

While Monty Williams’ youngest son, Micah, still has three years of high school left, life is changing for the close-knit Williams men with one soon leaving the nest.

“Yeah, it’s getting out of control now, man,” Monty Williams told Andscape on Monday. “We’ve been through so much together as a family. [Elijah’s] been through stuff that most kids can’t even imagine, and he’s been through it with me, along with his brother. So, the idea of him going off to school — me and him and his brother actually talked about it about a month and a half ago. And it was a really cool conversation, but it was emotional.

“All three of us, we just talked about how this was going to be the first time that one of us wasn’t going to be in the house on a day-in, day-out basis. Any time your kid goes off to school it’s emotional, but this one’s a little bit different because of all the stuff that these kids have been through.”

Ingrid Williams, Monty Williams’ first wife and the mother of five of his six children, tragically died in a multiple-vehicle car crash in Oklahoma in 2016. Monty Williams’ second wife, Lisa, is a breast cancer survivor. The Williams family has lived in Phoenix, Detroit and now Spring Branch, Texas, in the past three years. Monty Williams said Baylor is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Spring Branch, which is “close enough and far enough” for Elijah.

On that recent emotional discussion, Elijah Williams told Andscape: “We were just talking about our fears and things that we were not necessarily looking forward to, but things that are going to happen. And I was just talking about how just leaving the house and going to college and being away from my dad and my brother. I never really have done that. I just want to be back as much as I can and keep our relationship as close as possible.”

On Saturday in Portland, Oregon, Elijah Williams will play for the Team USA boys’ team at the Nike Hoop Summit, an event showcasing the top American high school seniors against a World Select team. Monty Williams coached Elijah at Texas Military Institute Episcopal over the past two seasons. Elijah Williams, a 6-foot-6 small forward, is ranked 32nd in the 2026 ESPN SCNext 100.

Elijah Williams is honored to wear a USA jersey at the Hoop Summit, for good reasons. He was previously cut during tryouts for the U-16, U-18 and U-19 teams after being a finalist each time. Moreover, his father was an assistant coach for USA Basketball senior men’s national team from 2013-16 and 2022-24.

“You’re representing your country,” Monty Williams said. “He’s one of those kids that got cut every summer. He would make it to the very last cut every summer, and he never backed down from coming back. They have no idea how badly he wanted to play for the USA. And I think some of it probably came from the fact that he was in practices with me when I coached. So, he got to be around it when he was like 8 years old.

“So, when he got the call that he was going to be on the team, it was so stinking cool because he had worked so hard to make it on the team after he got cut. Then when they told him he was going to be on the Hoop Summit team, he would have to tell you how he felt, but as a family and as a dad, man, we were so stinking happy.”

Said Elijah Williams: “Just seeing [my father] represent the USA when I was growing up on the Olympic teams and [World Cup] teams, you get the aspect of it being my dad and then you see it with all these players you look up to. Then there is just the level of pride you have. I’ve been here for four years now trying to make the team, and you finally make it, it just means the world, just being able to finally reach the goals you set for yourself. So just that and putting the USA jersey on, it really means a lot.”

Monty Williams had an NBA head coaching record of 381-404 in 10 seasons with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons. The 2022 NBA Coach of the Year’s coaching career was highlighted by leading the Phoenix Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals. A nine-year NBA forward, he coached the Pistons to a franchise-worst 14-68 record, including a record 28-game losing streak during the 2023-24 season. He was fired June 19, 2024.

Monty Williams described his time with the Pistons to Andscape as “failed.” He said he is happy for their success this season under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who has led the franchise to the No. 1 seed in the East for the upcoming NBA playoffs.

The silver lining from the Pistons firing was that the Williams family moved to the San Antonio area, where Monty landed a high school job that allowed him to coach his two sons — including his youngest son, Micah, a class of 2029 guard — at TMI Episcopal.

“I guess a lot of people don’t enjoy that, but I thought it was really cool,” Elijah Williams, 18, said about being coached by his dad the final two years of his high school career. “So, he knows what makes me tick and what makes me go. It was a really successful year. I grew a lot and I wouldn’t change anything.”

The following is an Andscape Q&A with Monty Williams, who further discusses Elijah’s basketball accolades and future, whether he would consider coaching in college or the NBA, his disappointing tenure with the Pistons and their success now, his family time over the past two years, Micah’s basketball future, and much more.

When did you know Elijah was serious about basketball?

He’s been in this place where he’s always wanted to play against the best competition. And early on, you just want him to have a lot of fun and develop. And you can see certain kids are a little bit different — they’re bigger — whatever the case may be. But just watching him these last really six years play on these club teams has been a fun journey for all of us because we get to travel and see him and his little brother, Micah, play all over the country. And when we were in Phoenix, [Elijah] was like, ‘Dad, I want to play on this [AAU] circuit.’ And I was like, ‘What’s the difference [between that and high school]?’ Because I had no idea. I thought club teams are just club teams, and we played at different places and they traveled, and he was like, ‘Dad, I want to play with this team in Phoenix. They play against the best guys.’

And so, I was like, ‘OK.’ And so, we took him to a practice and that was the first time I got it because the kids in this gym, they were different — bigger, stronger, older kids. And he was like, ‘Dad, these are the guys I want to play against.’ So, you don’t really understand your kids’ competitive nature or heart until you have those moments with them. They can’t explain it. They just tell you what they want to do and then you see what they’re doing and you’re like, ‘OK, he really wants to play on a different level.’ And so, for us as a family, man, it’s been a blast traveling around the country. My daughters have helped. [My wife] Lisa and I just tag team. There have been times where they’ve had to take him to club games in different parts of the country. They send us videos of the game and text results and all that. It’s just been a really cool journey for not just me, but the fan.

Did you push basketball on Elijah?

Well, look at what I’ve done for the past 30-plus years. The last two years are the only two years of my adulthood where I haven’t been in the NBA. So, from my girls to my boys, that’s all they know. They’ve gone to work with me. My girls were in the gym with me. I’d leave practice, go home, pick them up, and then bring them back to the gym. And I’d get work done. These practice sites are unreal. And my girls and boys were all over the place, just having a blast. And [Elijah] was born there in Portland when I worked for the Trail Blazers. And as soon as he could dribble and I could function with him, he was at the gym with me and that was it.

That’s a hard question. Did I push it on him? I probably did because that’s what I did and that’s what I got into after I played. And so, bringing him to work every day, I guess it’s not a direct push, but an indirect push because if I’m doing it and I go to my office to watch film and get stuff ready for the next day, and I just tell him, ‘Go grab a ball, go play, or go do whatever.’ He and his brother are going to naturally just gravitate towards it, I guess.

You averaged over 30 points a game at Potomac High School in Maryland as a senior during the 1988-89 season and led your school to a Maryland Class 3A state title before going to Notre Dame. So, is Elijah better as a senior in high school than you were?

It’s not even close. He’s way better. His game is just so much more complete than mine. He can play in pick-and-roll. He can shoot it. He can post it. He can shoot the midrange, and he’s just a way better athlete than I was. He gets off the ground and he’ll defend. That’s something that he’s just innately never been opposed to is guarding the other team’s best player and guarding multiple positions. And he’s been in film sessions with me on NBA teams. He’s been around a lot of stuff. He’s been to NBA practices and got his butt kicked by pros, and those are experiences that help you get better. But to answer your question bluntly, it’s not even close. He’s way better than I was.

Do you plan to continue coaching the high school team, or are you open to going back to coaching in the NBA?

The way I’ve always looked at it, I’m not one of those guys waiting for a coach to get fired. It’s just not my thing. I hope all the guys keep their jobs for the next 10 years. That’s good for business. It’s good for continuity. Is it going to happen? Probably not. I really enjoy high school. I immensely enjoy it because I’m coaching my boys. That’s something that I don’t take for granted. It’s been a really cool experience to coach them. Coaching in the NBA was an unreal opportunity for me. No one saw me as a coach when I played. Like, no one.

I think Doc Rivers was the first person to say something to me, and I thought he was crazy. And so, for me to already have three jobs, I can’t complain or gripe about not being in the NBA or having a head coaching job. And I’ve had three shots at it. I look at [Boston Celtics assistant coach] Sam Cassell and I ask like, ‘Why can’t he get a shot?’ There are a number of guys, [such as Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach] Elston Turner. There’s so many guys that haven’t had a chance to do it. I’ve had three, and I’ve been an assistant coach on the USA team. I’ve been blessed to do stuff, man, that most coaches never dream of.

So, if I never do it again, I couldn’t complain. Right now, I’m coaching high school and we’re in a really good spot in terms of being with my youngest son, Micah. … I talk to my wife about it from time to time, and then it’s like it’s not even anything you can ruminate on because like I told you, man, I’m not the guy that’s waiting on people to get fired. I can’t stand that. When coaches call me and ask me how can they get a head [coaching] job or how can I do this or that? And I’m like, ‘Dude, all the jobs are taken. Relax.’ That stuff drives me nuts.

Would you consider coaching in college?

That’s something that we have talked about as a family. That would be really intriguing just because I really enjoy what I’m doing right now in terms of spending quality time with young people, driving the bus, going to Buc-ee’s, which is a staple here in Texas. My wife, she’s the GM of the team. All the kids know they’re going to be well taken care of and fed. And it’s amazing. And I’ve had so many opportunities these last two years to have really cool conversations with young people.

And a lot of them think that I’m impacting them. But they have no idea how spending time with them and learning from them and sharing experiences fills my cup, because what I always wanted to do was to just be a part of some young person’s journey and share my failures with them so they don’t make the same mistakes I made.

Do you pay any attention to what the Pistons are doing and reflect on that time at all?

Yeah, I do. I was talking to [Pistons assistant coach] Fred Vinson today, actually. Those guys have done an unreal job there. I’ve been on many sides of this thing as a coach. I’ve been close to winning a championship. I’ve been on teams that won. I’ve been on teams that didn’t win, and that was a failure for me — Detroit was. And I don’t shy away from that.

What J.B. [Bickerstaff] and that staff have been able to do there should be applauded. Those guys are knocking it out of the park, and [Pistons All-Star] Cade [Cunningham] is exactly what I thought he was. I couldn’t bring it out of him like J.B. has. And [Pistons All-Star] Jalen [Duren] is knocking it out of the park, and [Pistons forward] Ausar [Thompson] and all those kids, man, they’re awesome. Would I have loved to have been a part of that? Absolutely. That’s just competitive, and you want to be a part of cool stuff like that. But man, I’m cool with where I am and happy for those guys. I still talk to a number of people up there.

We enjoyed our time. My first wife was from Michigan, so I spent a lot of time up there. But yeah, I don’t shy away from that. I failed and that’s only going to make me better as a coach. And I’ve been able to share my failures with other people so that they can be better. I think that’s what life is about — or part of living — is to be able to talk about your shortcomings and failures so that you can help another person not go down that road. And that’s how I view it.

Have you been called about any coaching jobs since Detroit?

Nobody has directly contacted me. I’ve had people — my agent will tell me some things. And I’ve told him, I’m like, he knows how I operate. Spencer [Breecker’s] my guy and he’ll bring up the conversation and I’m just like, ‘Bro, you know how I roll. They got a coach. Let’s not do that.’ And he’ll be like, ‘OK, OK.’ But I just have so much respect for the position. I didn’t even understand respect for the position until I coached with Nate McMillan [in Portland]. And then when I got a chance to coach with him, many of the lessons that [former Philadelphia 76ers head coach] Brett Brown was teaching me behind the bench were really clear because I had moved up in responsibility. And Nate was really pivotal in my growth as a coach because he taught me to respect the position and never, ever disrespect another man while he’s in that position. And it stuck with me. It had a huge impact on me.

With Elijah playing on this level, he could be a one-and-done candidate and has potential to be in the 2027 NBA draft. Have you thought about that?

It’s crazy, man. Certainly, it’s a possibility. But when you look at today’s landscape, so many things have to happen for a kid like him to be one of those kinds of kids. It could happen. What I’ve told him and what we tell our team every day is just do your best and have fun, man. That’s all you can control. Does he have the skill set at 18? Does he have a level of maturity and toughness that’s a little bit different? Yeah, he does. Have I thought about it? Yeah, of course.

I’m not going to sit here and try to do the fake — whatever you want to call it — and act like I don’t think about it. But at the same time, having been on that level and played and coached, I know how hard it is, because the talent just gets more and more compressed as you move up. So many things have to go a certain way for you to be in a position to do something like that.

How would you describe Elijah’s game?

He is the epitome of versatility. He does a lot of stuff well and he does a lot of stuff well on the defensive end. I think he’s still growing in his game. [ESPN college basketball analyst] Cory Alexander gave me some really good advice two years ago. He said, ‘Mont, wherever you put him, just make sure they put the ball in his hands, because if he has the ball in his hands, he’s going to grow and get better. He’s going to see the game differently.’ Because up until that point, he was just a guy who shot threes. And if he got by you, he was going to try to put it on your head at the rim. That was just who he was. And now from an offensive perspective, he shoots it, he can get to the midrange, he can post up, and he still gets to the rim to finish.

And then his defense, I think being on the EYBL [Nike Elite Basketball League] circuit and playing against that kind of talent every summer gave him a chance to guard so many different kinds of players. But I think a major growth took place at USAB [USA Basketball]. When you go to USAB, you’re playing against the best kids and they’re all in one gym, and it is high-level pressure. You’re trying to make the team. And you’re either going to fall apart or you’re going to get better. And he just got better every year. And so, if I was describing his game, he’s just a really versatile player.

How good of a basketball player is Micah?

He’s got a shot, man. He’s 15. And for me anyway, 15 is that age where you want them to understand how hard you have to work. Elijah took a jump around 15 in his work. USAB was a huge part of that for him because he would leave and understand how much harder he had to work just to compete on that floor and be a part of the group. And Micah is at that age where he’s growing a little bit, he’s playing on [the AAU] circuit, and he’s just understanding how hard it is. And it’s too early to tell. He and Elijah have totally different paths, and I’ve told them, ‘That is what Daddy wants.’

We tell the kids to climb their own mountain. You don’t have to do what Elijah did the way he did it. Daddy’s going to support you on your journey. And he’s just different. He’s a different player than Elijah. Elijah was just so freaky athletic at 12, 13, 14 years old. Micah is a different kind of athlete. He’s quick, explosive. He’s more of a guard than Elijah was at this age. So, it’s too early to tell because I’m teaching him how to work, and he’s playing on the circuit, and he’s pretty good.

For people who really appreciated you as a coach, as a player and as a man, and are curious to know how you are doing, what would you tell them?

I’ve always been an open book, but there’s nothing in the book. I lead a pretty boring, simple life. We live out in the country. I coach high school basketball. We got a piece of property out here. We don’t do much. I’m probably more boring than my wife signed up for. But we are so good, man. I have been so blessed to be a part of the NBA for three decades, and I have tons of rich relationships. The money is off the charts. Everybody knows that. But the relationships that I had with people, the jobs that I got a chance to be a part of — all the teams and people that I played with and coached with — man, I had a blast.

And if I never got to do it again, I could never complain. But as far as where we are right now, man, I’m in a position where I can serve my family and chase my boys around the country while they play basketball. I coach high school basketball. And I’m just like all the people that cared to follow me back in the day. I’m just as boring as I was back then. So, we’re really good, man. My family’s doing well. My boys are hooping. My girls are grown, and we’re just living a simple life out here in the country.

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