Hornets' Grant Williams Says It 'Definitely Sucked' Not Getting Celtics Tribute Video

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams says it "definitely sucked" not receiving a tribute video from the Boston Celtics when he returned to TD Garden in April.

The 2019 Celtics first-rounder said the snub occurred after ex-Celtics center Robert Williams III requested that the team not play a video honoring his own return.

"If Rob is not getting a video, it makes no sense to give me one," Williams said Wednesday on FanDuelTV's Run it Back. "So I expected it to happen. It definitely sucked, because it would have been cool to see the highlights and the highs we had throughout that team... we definitely had some great moments. But at the same time, I can always remember those by watching TV, or going back and watching games."

Williams played 288 regular-season games and 61 playoff contests for the Celtics between his 2019 debut and his 2023 trade to the Dallas Mavericks.

He was sidelined with an ankle injury when the Hornets traveled to Boston on April 12 to record a 131-98 loss at TD Garden.

Robert Williams III made his own return to TD Garden the week prior, when the Portland Trail Blazers traveled to Boston on April 7.

The Celtics welcomed back the center, who played the first five seasons of his career and earned the nickname Timelord as a fan favorite in Boston, with an announcement and Jumbotron close-ups but no tribute video.

A Celtics official later told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe that the Trail Blazer center asked the team not to show a video.

Earlier that season, Boston celebrated the return of former Celtics guard Marcus Smart with a tribute video on Feb. 4 when the Memphis Grizzlies came to TD Garden.

Smart played nine seasons in Boston prior to the three-team trade that sent him to Memphis.

Williams said in May on the CLNS Media Network's Cedric Maxwell Podcast that he respected the team's choice to produce a tribute for Smart.

"They gave Smart the video and I gotta respect it," Williams said last month (h/t MassLive's Souichi Terada.) "Smart was there for eight years and had a true impact on the city and the organization and everything else. As much as I was involved in the community and loved Boston and the organization, I think they were just trying to be consistent with what they did prior."

Williams averaged 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 29 games for Charlotte following his midseason trade from the Mavericks. He has three years remaining on his current contract, and could be hoping for a bigger welcome when the Hornets return to TD Garden next season.