Williams and Paul hugged after the game and took in the moment. Even though there were plenty of tears from Paul, there were none from Williams.
“It’s just authentic. I just felt like hugging him. I think his parents were right behind us and he was emotional,” Williams said. “I felt for him. I had my emotional time before the game.”
Before the Suns took to the Staples Center court, Williams and assistant coach Randy Ayers were in the locker room reflecting on their journey together — five years in New Orleans and the last two in Phoenix.
“Today about 2:30 we were in the locker room. It was just Randy and I. I was like, ‘Man, Randy, we’re so close.’ And then Randy starts telling me what he felt about me, because he’s been with me since day one in New Orleans. And I broke down before the game,” Williams said. “So I understood the emotions that Chris was dealing with. I just ran out of tears. I used all mine up about 2:30, 3 p.m. today.