October 30, 2024

Former Tennessee Vols Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield reunite after facing off in NBA matchup

Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield were key parts of perhaps the most memorable team in the history of Tennessee basketball.  The duo starred for the 2018-19 Volunteers, who were ranked number one during the season for the longest stretch in program history at four weeks amidst a 19-game winning streak.

Tennessee basketball: Admiral Schofield is saying all the right things

Williams and Schofield have managed to sustain careers in the NBA, the former with the Charlotte Hornets and the latter with the Orlando Magic.  Those two teams faced off on Tuesday evening in Orlando, which the Magic won 112-92.

Afterward the game, Williams and Schofield exchanged jerseys and Schofield gave a quick shout out to Tennessee, which the Magic shared on their Twitter/X account.

 

Williams, who earned first team All-American honors with the Vols in 2018-19, was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 22nd pick of the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.  He spent his first four seasons with the Celtics, helping Boston reach the 2021-22 NBA Finals.  After being traded to Dallas in July 2023, he was traded on February 8, 2024 to Charlotte, where he’s averaged 13.6 points per game for the Hornets.

Grant Williams grew up a Charlotte fan. He led the Hornets to a  streak-busting win | Charlotte Observer

Schofield was drafted with the 12th pick of the second round in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, who immediately traded him to the Washington Wizards.  After spending some time in the G-League (developmental league) in 2020 and 2021, Schofield has managed to stick around with the Orlando Magic since late 2021.

Williams and Schofield thrilled Tennessee fans during their time wearing orange and white and certainly were among the most popular players of their generation.  For one more night, it was great to see the former Vols sharing the spotlight on a basketball court together again.

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