Why Kemba Walker opened up his home to Grant Williams during quarantine

When the NBA season came to an abrupt halt in March, each member of the Celtics' roster had a different gameplan for where they would spend their time during the quarantine. Some players stayed put in their homes around Boston but others spread out across the country to be closer to their families and warmer weather. The situation left rookie Grant Williams in a tough spot. The backup forward was torn between staying in his apartment by the practice facility or head back home to North Carolina for better weather to workout in. He knew he could stay with family but he also worried about exposing his grandparents to the virus by going in and out of the house when working out

As the power forward was debating his options, All-Star teammate Kemba Walker reached out. The point guard still has a home in the Charlotte area where he was headed during the quarantine period and offered his teammate a chance to bunk with him. The end result has been an unlikely duo of roommates for the last two months of quarantine.

“It’s been amazing,” Williams said on a Zoom video call on Wednesday. “Just hanging out. Relaxing, being able to get to know each other better, as well as work out together because we’re here, we’re isolated in our means and we have the means. It was just a great decision.

“He actually offered it because I was debating even coming home and I was worried because I knew I was going to be either in and out of the house, working out at different places if possible, or going somewhere to at least stay active. And I was like, ‘Ah, I could be with (grandparents?),’ and he said, ‘If you want, you can always stay with me’ and I took him up on the offer and I’m thankful for him.”

Williams is probably the chattiest member of the Celtics roster, a label that has earned him plenty of grief in the locker room as a rookie. Williams joked how honored he was that Walker was willing to invite him into his home despite that reputation.

“For as much as I talk, I’m glad that he even considered it,” Williams joked.

While Walker is regularly raved about by his current and former teammates for his supportive nature, Williams has enjoyed living with the point guard from a personal and bonding perspective, keeping up his low maintenance attitude off the floor as well.

“He’s great because he’s comfortable,” Williams explained. “He’s very to himself. He relaxes a lot and takes care of himself. He’s not really high maintenance or anything like that. So he’s a great dude. In general, he’s one of the best human beings I’ve met throughout this process. He’s a genuine guy. So all he does really is just relax, play games and watch film, basically. Do everything he can working out too, so that’s about all.”

While Walker does have a hoop at his home, Williams said the duo has been more focused on their workout regime and fitness than the game itself at this stage.

“It’s more so about condition, staying in shape,” Williams explained. “You can improve your game, especially in times like these. Part of the reason why I came down home and went to Charlotte was because the regulations were a little bit lighter, there were less cases, as well as the weather and everything like that. Just able for me to be outside. Until recently, I would just be working out and doing my best to stay active and improve my ball-handling especially and then shooting when I had a chance. I was fortunate enough to have a basket and be able to have some live and do things. The Celtics sent us workouts so I feel like I feel like a lot of us have been able to get back, no matter how soon it will be, we’re going to do our best to be at the peak shape that we can be and as healthy as we can be.”

With momentum building towards an eventual resumption of the NBA season in Vegas and Orlando in July, Williams is anxiously awaiting a chance to resume his rookie campaign. In the meantime, he remains confident in the league to ensure that the season will resume under safe conditions, if it does happen at all.

“It’s going to be a fun time, if and when we get the season back,” he said. “Regardless of what I’ve seen, I can only go off what I’ve heard and know so I just kinda go with the flow and try and respect that the organization and the NBA will do their best to make the wisest and safest decision possible. They’ve done a great job of communicating with us throughout this entire period and I’m thankful for them because it could have been a lot worse, especially with all the things that are going on right now. They’ve done a great job of communicating with us and we’re just going to go with what they give us.”