South Gwinnett surprises Lou Williams naming gym after NBA player

Lou Williams thought he would be attending a number retiring ceremony at his alma mater South Gwinnett High School.

In the end, the school figured a number retirement wasn’t enough to celebrate the former basketball player.

South Gwinnett surprised Williams Thursday morning by renaming the gym “LouWillVille” after him.

“I’m really at a loss for words. My entire basketball career started in this very gym. I always found peace in this gym,” Williams said to the crowd of students. “With my teammates and coaching staff and a community that embraced me and allowed me to be myself.”

Channel 2 Action News spoke with Williams after the surprise dedication.

“You don’t really envision that. I thought my number would be retired. Once that happened, that was kind of cool. But this was a tremendous accomplishment," he said.

RAW VIDEO: South Gwinnett dedicates gym to NBA player Lou Williams The school surprised Williams with a dedication Thursday. His LA Clippers teammates showed up in support.

Williams graduated from South Gwinnett High School in 2005 and nearly committed to University of Georgia before he decided to turn pro.

During his four years on the boys basketball team, Williams was a four-time All-State selection and earned the “Mr. Basketball” award as a junior and senior.

The Comets won the Class 5A state championship during his junior year. The guard had one message for the current student-athletes.

“I challenge both the boys and girls basketball teams to take my name off the court and put yours on it,” Williams said.

The entire Los Angeles Clippers team -- including reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard -- attended the ceremony in support of their teammate.

Williams and the Clippers were in town Wednesday night to play the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks put together a rally to win the game.

“They didn’t need to be here. It’s an early morning after a tough loss on our way to Miami. A lot of guys didn’t need to wake up and come. For everyone to get out of their bed, it meant a lot to me having my teammates here,” he said.

Williams has built his career around being a reliable bench player on NBA rosters. The 33-year-old guard has been named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Last season, Williams became the league’s all-time scorer off the bench, surpassing Dell Curry.

Williams has played for Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and LA Clippers over the course of his career.

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