Phoenix coach Monty Williams told reporters over the weekend he has stayed calm during the NBA playoffs by reading, playing with his dogs and discussing the Bible with his family.
Williams, who guided the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993, has been outspoken about his Christian faith during media interviews. Phoenix trails Milwaukee 3-2 entering Tuesday's Game 6 in the best-of-seven series.
He made the remarks during a press conference when a reporter asked what he has done "personally" to stay calm in such a tense environment.
Williams says he spends time at his house with his family when he's not coaching.
"I'll go outside with my dogs," he said. "... I do more reading now than I did in college. I can't believe I'm admitting that. I didn't know what a syllabus was until I got to college. But I just enjoy with my family goofing around."
Williams then discussed his faith.
"We have devos – devotionals – at night where we walk, where we read a Bible verse and we talk about the Lord and His impact on our lives and what He's done for us," Williams said. "And it's been really cool to talk to my children about the stresses and fears, and all the stuff that I've gone through the last two months. Because they look at me as big as I am, you know, in a certain way, and I think it's cool, especially with my boys, to teach them it's OK to be fearful, but not let those fears stop you. The conversations with my kids the last few weeks have been really really cool, so that's probably the most enjoyable thing I do that allows me to get away from this a little bit."
“At night we read a Bible verse and talk about the Lord.”
— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) July 18, 2021
Even in the midst of coaching in the playoffs and now the Finals, Suns coach Monty Williams is keeping the main thing the main thing with his kids.
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Williams is in his third season with the Suns, who have never won an NBA title.
He discussed his faith during an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt after the Suns clinched an NBA Finals appearance.
"I expressed from the time I got the job in Phoenix, and to every new player that comes to our program, the essence of my coaching is to serve," Williams said, according to Sports Spectrum. "As a believer in Christ, that's what I'm here for. And I tell them all the time, if I get on you, I'm not calling you out, I'm calling you up."
Related:
Monty Williams: Trusting God Amidst Suffering
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Chris Coduto/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
