Jason Williams was a bona fide maverick during his heyday in the NBA.
A ball-handling wizard and a passing savant, he immediately became one of the most popular players in the league during his three-year stint with the Sacramento Kings, thanks to his sensational dimes and daredevil plays.
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While White Chocolate was far from uncoachable, he certainly relished the freedom to pull off jaw-dropping plays, whether that was throwing a no-look pass or pulling up for a 30-foot three-pointer with 20 seconds left on the shot clock. As spectacular as those plays can be, especially when completed successfully, one can also imagine the chagrin his coaches must have felt when Williams’ flair for the dramatic backfired.
That said, it was safe to say the partnership between J-Will and Stan Van Gundy during their time on the Orlando Magic was tense. With the former being stuck in his ways and SVG also demanding a level of control, the two clashed on multiple occasions.
The tension culminated one day when Williams, apparently fed up with his coach’s micromanaging, was ejected from practice, but not before delivering a memorable parting shot to SVG.
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It was his way or the highway
SVG was a noted grump who, much like Larry Brown, enjoyed teaching the game as much as coaching it.
However, it also meant practices were treated like classroom sessions, with the whistle often being blown to stop play and show players where they made mistakes. This approach didn’t sit well with Williams, who preferred a more free-flowing style of play.
“We watched the whole film session, like an hour before practice, about being organized in transition, right?” J-Will narrated on the “All The Smoke” podcast. “So he was talking about that and what he wanted the guards to do was get everybody organized vocally, right, coming down the court.”
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As the scrimmage got underway, Williams told his teammate Matt Barnes to “drag him,” which in basketball lingo is a pick-and-roll in transition. As they went about the play, Williams was surprised to hear the whistle.
“‘What are you doing?'” Jason recalled SVG bellowing. “I’m like, ‘Look, I told him to come drag me.’ He was like, ‘But you didn’t inform the whole team,’ or some s—t like that.”
J-Will had enough
Fed up with SVG’s constant nitpicking, Williams took a stand and announced he had had enough. Ensuring he got his point across, he threw a laser-like behind-the-back pass that hit the coach right in the middle of his belly.
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Barnes, though, clarified that the pass wasn’t like any he had seen before.
“Don’t let it seem like it was close. J-Will was on the far side of the court and Stan was on the other side,” Barnes recalled. “And he threw this ball so fast and so hard behind his back, it hit him in his stomach and knocked him away.”
Matt said the sequence was far from humorous, but seeing the wind get knocked out of SVG left him trying to stifle a laugh — something easier said than done.
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“I was having a hard time holding up. Like I tried the whole thing — I think a snot booger came out, again trying to hold that s—t in, bro,” Matt shared with a hearty laugh.
Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back, J-Will regretted his actions for two reasons.
“The worst part is, there was a high school team watching us practice,” he stated. “And Stan’s daddy was watching.”
J-Will’s stint in Orlando did not last long, as the team waived him 16 games into the 2010-11 season. A few weeks later, he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies and played the last 11 games of his NBA career.
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The end wasn’t what he expected, but then again, the perfect ending rarely ever happens.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.