CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a move that brings a Cleveland basketball story full circle, the Cavaliers have hired Jawad Williams — St. Ed’s legend, North Carolina champion, and former Cavs player — to join Kenny Atkinson’s coaching staff.
The latest episode of Wine and Gold Talk podcast dives into this homecoming, revealing personal connections and basketball insights that make this hiring particularly significant for the franchise.
As podcast host Ethan Sands pointed out, Williams was “an AP and Gatorade Player of the Year at St. Eds, and he also was a McDonald’s All American,” before embarking on a 17-year professional playing career.
This isn’t just any coaching hire — it’s a Cleveland story through and through.
Williams’ deep roots in the community and his understanding of what basketball means to this city could prove invaluable as the Cavaliers look to build on their 64-win season and push deeper into the playoffs.
What makes Williams’ addition particularly impactful is his unique journey — from Cleveland high school star to North Carolina champion to NBA player (including three seasons with the Cavaliers alongside LeBron James) to overseas pro to coaching. That experience gives him instant credibility with players.
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com columnist, emphasized this point on the podcast: “I just think with a guy like Jawad’s background that gives you so much currency with players when you can speak from experience.”
This isn’t just about basketball knowledge; it’s about the intangible qualities Williams brings. As Chris Fedor, cleveland.com Cavs beat reporter, noted toward the end of the podcast, Williams is “a really good dude” who “gets along with a lot of different people” and “he’s been a winner basically every stop of his basketball career.”
The timing couldn’t be better for the Cavaliers, who lost several key assistant coaches this offseason, including player development guru Jordan Ott and former player Damari Carroll. Williams appears positioned to fill crucial voids in both areas.
“I think it’s great that Jawad is getting not only to come home, but also the opportunity to be on a bigger stage,” Sands remarked on the podcast, noting Williams is moving from the Sacramento Kings.
For Cavaliers fans, Williams’ hiring represents more than just filling a coaching vacancy—it’s bringing home one of their own, someone who understands the city, the franchise, and what it takes to win at the highest level.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Wine and Gold Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._