“Can’t write it any other way, right? NBA script. It’s just what it is” said Mark Williams when speaking about facing the Lakers right after the All-Star Break. The recent Hornets-Lakers matchup was exciting, as it happened right after the trade deal between the two teams faltered. Just when people thought Rob Pelinka was done making major moves after Luka Doncic’s acquisition, he followed by exchanging star rookie Dalton Knecht for Mark Williams.

Unfortunately, any aspirations that the 23-year-old Center held of playing alongside LeBron James and co crumbled after he failed his physical.

It automatically caused the trade deal to be rescinded. Therefore, the recent game may have served as Williams’s own ‘revenge game’. However, as expected, the matchup wasn’t without any ‘awkward’ moments.

Mark Williams certainly had moments where he shone during the recent matchup. During his 29 minutes on the court, the player recorded 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. His contribution assisted Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball, who stayed on par with the competition throughout the game. Unfortunately, not many would remember his scoring after what LeBron James did in the 4 quarter. As 6:55 minutes remained in the 4 quarters, the Hornets were leading by 80-78.

The Lakers squad was positioned outside the scoring rim. LeBron James himself was moving slowly outside the paint. However, just as he received the ball after a second pass, the 40-year-old dashed. Williams was standing to guard him, but LeBron leaped around him to drop a monstrous dunk!

LeBron’s move was certainly one for the history books. After all, it brought the crowd to its feet. The commentators sprung off their chairs enthusiastically, marveling at the 40-year-old’s ability, and Bronny held his head in shock. The fact that LeBron did the dunk while being guarded by Mark Williams was the cherry on top of the Waffle Sundae that someone like Leslie Knope would undoubtedly enjoy.

That instance can be called ‘Awkward Moment #1’. The next moment came after the Charlotte Hornets secured the victory with a 100-97 score. In a way, Williams did get his ‘revenge game’, even if he wasn’t the lead scorer. After the game, it was time for the unofficial, yet still traditional, greeting of the rival players. This meant that Dalton Knecht and Mark Williams had to interact!

Sure enough, fans saw the two meeting up and exchanging some words. No visible hug transpired between the two players, even though Knecht had previously hugged Miles Bridges. Furthermore, no information has been revealed about the conversation between the duo.

Feel that Mark Williams faced enough awkwardness for one night? Well, there was still one more thing remaining. After the loss, LeBron James took some questions in his locker room. Given the recent events, it was only a matter of time before they inquired about Mark Williams. However, when asked about playing against the young center, LeBron said he was no different from other on-court rivals. After all, the trade deal never did go through.

“He was never a teammate, he never stepped into the locker room,” said LeBron. “He never came…. we’ve never seen him. We know that the trade went down, but we’ve never seen him. So, I got recently just back to what it was before, so it wasn’t different”. Yikes! A double blow from the NBA All-Time Scorer was certainly not on Mark Williams’ bingo card for the year.

For both Dalton Knecht and Mark Williams, the awkwardness will not go away anytime soon. After all, returning to the same team that was willing to exchange you for the other one will probably make the environment a bit unstable. Nevertheless, they will have to adapt. Before he can do so, however, Mark Williams may want to know whether the reason for rescinding the trade was true or not.

Mark Williams was in shock after the trade rescind: “I didn’t think I had failed my physical”

Mark Williams took time to find his voice after his shift to the Los Angeles Lakers got rejected. However, he eventually spoke the truth during a recent interview with The Charlotte Observer. Willams admitted that while there wasn’t much he could have done about the situation, it still didn’t stop him from going “from shocked to excited, back to shocked”. Given how the Hornets disputed the failed physical, there was a belief that surely the player himself would have some clarity behind it.

However, the results also came as a huge surprise to Williams, knowing how much court time he gave on the basketball court after his injury recovery.

“My agent told me. I didn’t think I had failed my physical. That didn’t even cross my mind,” said Williams. He’s got a subpar injury record, and it might be why the trade went up in flames.

“The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn’t think in any world that was possible. Since I’ve been back since the start of the year, I’ve played games with a lot of minutes. I feel like every injury I’ve had has been well-documented and I’ve recovered and been 100% since. So, I don’t know what went into that decision. I think that’s up to them,” said Williams.

Mark Williams’ future now continues to be charted through the Charlotte Hornets. At least for the time being. Therefore, if the Lakers made him feel awkward recently, he can always give a payback. By improving his own stats and performance, he can show the team what they passed on.