Former Tennessee Basketball legend Grant Williams returned to the court for the first time since 2024 in the Charlotte Hornets’ 150-95 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. Williams had been working his way back from an ACL and torn meniscus injury that required surgery nearly 13 months ago.
In 14 minutes on the court, Williams knocked down a trio of triples for his only made shots of the game. The former Vol went 3-of-10 from the field with all 10 shots coming from behind the three-point line. He also pulled down eight rebounds and finished with a +31 plus/minus.
Welcome back, Grant Williams 👋
He’s playing in his first NBA game since Nov. 2024! pic.twitter.com/89gDWvuuUO
— NBA (@NBA) January 11, 2026
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“It felt great, honestly,” Williams said after the game. “The group was very welcoming. It was a good flow of the game, especially a game like that when you’re beating a team the way we were, but it was definitely a little nerves and anxious anxiety from the start. But then as the game settled in, so did those. It felt good being back, and hopefully continue this winning streak as we go on this west coast trip.”
Despite Saturday’s massive win, the Hornets are still looking for any type of spark to help the season. Charlotte is ranked fourth in the Southeast Division with a 14-25 record.
The 27-year-old Williams is a NBA Champion (Boston ’22), a three-time SEC Player of the Year. He played for the Tennessee Volunteers from 2016 to 2019 before being 22nd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
