NBA journeyman Lou Williams calls Raptors stint "one of the greatest years" of his career

Chalk Lou Williams up as the latest former Toronto Raptors player to have praise for the city.

In an appearance this week on Paul George’s Podcast P show, the former NBA journeyman spoke about his lone season with the Raptors, speaking highly of his experience with the team back in 2014-15.

“If you know anything about The Six, Toronto, they roll the red carpet out for you. So when I had that, I can’t imagine how it was when they won that championship — I envy that, I know how they treat you when [you’re] just regular,” Williams said. “One of the greatest years of my career… I had a ton of fun.”

Lou Williams on his time w/ the Raptors:

“If you know anything about Toronto, they roll the red carpet out for you. So when I had that, I can’t imagine how it was when they won that championship—I envy that…one of the greatest years of my career…I had a ton of fun.” pic.twitter.com/B7WxZeLMaN

— Craig (@craigc__) November 14, 2023

And if anyone has a good perspective on what it’s like to play around the NBA, it’s probably the player nicknamed Lou Will.

Williams played 17 seasons across the NBA, also playing for the Philadephia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, and both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers. He averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 1,123 regular-season games. He won three Sixth Man of the Year awards, including one during his season in Toronto.

Oddly, though, Williams does have some interesting criticism for the city, including a quote that was widely circulated a few years after his departure from Toronto.

“Once you’re there, you’ll love playing for the Raptors, you’ll love playing for the country. And then that fourth, fifth month into the season you like, ‘God damn, I wanna go home,’” Williams said back in 2019.

“When you play in Toronto, you feel like you’re playing overseas. Like, we can’t wait to go on the road sometimes. Just to be in America. It’s like little sh*t you don’t think of like the channels on your TV, your phone bill, you gotta get a f*cking Canadian bank account. Sh*t like that people don’t think about. Like that sh*t is hard. Then if you have kids, you’re raising your kids in Canada.”

The full video of Williams’ interview with George is available below:

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