NBA star Derrick Williams has high goals at the German basketball champion Bayern Munich. “I want to punish people for lying,” said the 27-year-old newcomer at his performance on Friday. Williams was voted second by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2011 draft, but has not (yet) lived up to this great promise.
“The NBA remains the goal, but that doesn’t mean I’m not here with my head,” said Williams, who has competed 428 times in the North American professional league: “I want to go back where I come from.”
“Everyone expects great things from me, but I don’t see it as pressure but as a challenge,” Williams added. He sees the move to Germany “not as a step backwards, but as a step forward”. The BBL is “a great league”, he said: “FC Bayern is the best for me”.
The fact that the Bavarians also play in the EuroLeague played a major role in his decision, “this is one of the best competitions in the world,” Williams emphasized, who also gave a brief taste of his skills. He has already adopted the Munichers’ claim: “I expect a bunch of victories from us, that’s the most important thing.”
Williams, who received the jersey number 23, could make his debut on Sunday (15.00 hrs) in the cup round of sixteen against the Giessen 46ers. He has already internalised that he plays in a club whose football department stands for success. “I love soccer,” he said, “and I’m a big fan. I can’t wait to see a game.”