Thunder had classy gesture to honor Monty Williams’ late wife
Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams reacts during the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday made a classy gesture to Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and his family.
Williams lost his wife Ingrid in 2016 when she died in a car crash in Oklahoma City. Williams was an assistant coach with the Thunder at the time.
Sunday would have been Ingrid’s birthday. After Phoenix’s 128-118 win, Williams revealed to reporters that the Thunder blocked off his wife’s old seat where she used to sit during games.
Monty Williams thanked the #Thunder organization for honoring his late wife today by not having anyone sit in seat she sat in when he was an Oklahoma City assistant in 2015-16 season.
Today would've been her birthday. Ingrid Williams died in a car accident Feb. 10, 2016. #Suns pic.twitter.com/Z6f0cmaWYU
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 2, 2023
“Today would have been my wife’s birthday. They chose to honor my wife today by not allowing anybody to sit in her seats,” Williams said. “When I found out this morning, it really messed me up because it really speaks to how blessed I am to do what I do and work for the people that I work for and know the people that I know and how much they care. (Thunder GM Sam Presti) has been really consistent over the past few years on any day, whether it’s her birthday or the kids’ or something along those lines. For them to do that today really speaks to this organization and this city.”
The Thunder have found different ways to honor Williams and his family over the years. As he said, it is impressive that they have kept up with the kind gestures. People in the organization are clearly making it a point to show the Williams family that they have not forgotten about the difficult time they went through.