CHARACTER COUNTS
Thunder honor Monty Williams’ late wife with open seat vs. Suns
Apr 2, 2023, 3:21 PM
Head coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns watches a play in the first half of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on February 26, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has been through more in his life than the vast majority of us could imagine.
His late wife Ingrid Williams died in a car crash seven years ago in Oklahoma City at the age of 44 while Williams was an assistant coach with the Thunder.
With Monty Williams’ team in town to face the Thunder, the franchise honored his late wife by leaving the seat she would sit in for games open on Sunday, the date of her birthday.
Monty Williams thanked the #Thunder organization for honoring his late wife today by not having anyone sit in seat she sat in when he was an Oklahoma City assistant in 2015-16 season.
Today would've been her birthday. Ingrid Williams died in a car accident Feb. 10, 2016. #Suns pic.twitter.com/Z6f0cmaWYU
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 2, 2023
Williams is often not one to say something in the media that will garner him more attention but he noted he wanted the Thunder to be recognized for the gesture.
“When I found out this morning it really messed me up because it really speaks to how blessed I am to do what I do and work for the people that I work for and know the people that I know and then how much they care,” Monty Williams said pregame Sunday. “(Thunder general manager) Sam (Presti) has been really consistent over the past few years on any day, whether it’s her birthday or the kids or something along those lines.
“For them to do that today, really speaks to this organization and this city.”
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