Few sports fans around the Mansfield area are likely to know who Amari Williams is.
The likeable 24 year-old is currently living the dream after being selected as the 46th pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2025 NBA draft.
Amari Williams participated in the 2026 NBA Summer League as a member of the Celtics, It's a far cry from his time as a youngster playing for the Mansfield Giants.placeholder image
Amari Williams participated in the 2026 NBA Summer League as a member of the Celtics, It's a far cry from his time as a youngster playing for the Mansfield Giants.
Since then the power forward has been traded and is now developing his impressive basketball skills over in New England on a dual-contract with the Boston Celtics and the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League.
But it wasn’t so many years ago that a less well-known Williams was playing the sport he loves in the far from glamorous setting of Mansfield’s Oak Tree Leisure Centre.
Amari Williams was selected as the 46th pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2025 NBA draft.placeholder image
Amari Williams was selected as the 46th pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2025 NBA draft.
That is because the basketball prodigy, who participated in the 2026 NBA Summer League for the Celtics, grew up in Nottinghamshire and came through the ranks at the Mansfield Giants before moving from the area around eight years ago.
It’s a club that the 6ft 11 powerhouse still holds dear with Williams, who played college basketball with Drexel Dragons and Kentucky, regularly returning to help inspire the next generation.
“We had Amari with us in our U16s and our men’s team,” club secretary Gail Richards proudly remembers.
“In May last year he came back to see all the kids and he is due back again at some point in the future. He came in and did a talk and a life story with the kids.
Nottinghamshire-born Amari Williams is currently on a dual-contract with the Boston Celtics and the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League.placeholder image
Nottinghamshire-born Amari Williams is currently on a dual-contract with the Boston Celtics and the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League.
“He was only here for five days and that was his holiday, but he managed to pop by and meet the U14, U16s and U18s. It was good for the kids to see that that’s where you can get to. To meet somebody of that calibre, and he’s quite a normal down to earth person as well, the kids loved it.”
It was a visit that meant a lot to the community club who work hard on promoting the junior side of the sport in the area – an aspect they are now fully focused upon after having seen their men’s team disband due to funding difficulties during the COVID era.
The Giants, who were originally formed in 1996, now have U8s, U10s, U12s, U14s and U16s boys teams as well as a girls U12 and U16 team, based across Oak Tree and Ravenshead Leisure Centres and West Notts College.
Club coaches are also heavily involved in hosting basketball sessions in the community and working with local primary schools to help children flourish through sport.
“We have now probably got around 180 kids accessing the sport in our teams at various levels. It is booming at the moment,” adds Gail.
“The really good thing is giving kids in Mansfield access to sport and we try to keep the costs as low as possible.
“We have had funding from the Mansfield Armchair Club recently and other businesses have been supporting us and helping us to buy kits and things like that.”
Dedicated Gail, who used to play for the club, has been there since day one and remains as passionate as ever about giving young folk from around the area the opportunity to progress in life.
“They are basketball players but ultimately they are young people and we want to give them life skills more than anything,” she adds. “We have got some really good coaches who can deliver and are good with people. Sport can touch so many different kids' lives.
“People might not always go into playing and we have courses in coaching, refereeing, media. There’s lots of different things you can get from sport.
“It's really good to see how basketball can change lives. I came from a council estate and I started playing when I was 12. It really changed my life. I played, I made friends and I got a job in sport.
“Now I am enjoying putting something back and seeing how sport can change people’s lives.”
For more information on the club, and how you can get involved, visit https://mansfieldgiants.com/