Sac State guard Mikey Williams has seen it all — including rumors that he’s dead
Mikey Williams is averaging 20.1 points in the Big Sky Conference for Sacramento State this basketball season. He is the impossible-to-miss sophomore guard with his shock of high hair that bounces as he bounds up court as a play-making thunder dunker.
Not bad for a guy who supposedly died a few weeks ago. If it’s on social media, it must be true, right? Well, no.
Williams was not struck by gunfire in horrific scene, as a rogue X account tried to push across on social media in since-deleted posts. He was never in critical condition, and he did not succumb to any such bullets. Williams got a laugh out of it when asked last week how he deals with such things after a home game at the Hornet Pavilion, where he is a draw for a fanbase that has regularly overflowed the sparkling, 3,000-seat venue.
“I know, right?” Williams said with a laugh. “Funny story on that. My homie actually told me. He called me, and I was actually feeding my pet snake. So this mouse jumped out of the box and was running around the floor upstairs. We were chasing it all around. He called me and said, ‘Look at this!’ I thought, ‘No way!’ But I’m all good.”
Williams is more than good. When pressed, he will admit to “feeling great about being here and how far I’ve come.”
Williams continued his mouse-problem story. He recalled going into full pursuit of that critter after reading the social media post of his demise, and he found it. He fed the snake. The snake wound up happy and Williams relieved.
Williams can handle all manner of pressure on a basketball court as he has burdened expectations as the next sure thing in hoops since he was 12. But a runaway vermin had Williams a bit jumpy. You don’t want one of those things setting up shop in a closet or in a pair of prized sneakers.
Williams didn’t die last month, but the rodent did. Williams’ career nearly flatlined after such remarkable early promise — he had scholarship offers before he entered high school — and he has found new life as a key cog for coach Mike Bibby and the resurgent Hornets.
Williams’ stardom started in San Diego
Williams never expected to be at Sacramento State, but here he is. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard grew up in this state, in San Diego, where he impressed as a tireless youth player who had to be chased down and removed from gyms as a true gym rat.
Williams held his own in pickup games and warded off bullies. He was never afraid to get bloodied in a scrap. His first dunk happened when he was 12. He dazzled on the youth travel circuit, deemed by one recruiting site then as the top incoming freshman in the country. Arizona and Arizona State offered full athletic scholarships before Williams even pulled on a high school jersey.
At San Ysidro High in San Diego in late fall 2019, Williams dropped 46 points in his varsity debut. He was a freshman. He then had a 50-point game, and then a 77-point barrage that included nine 3-pointers to set a CIF San Diego Section scoring record. Williams averaged 30 points and was the MaxPreps national Freshman of the Year.
Williams was everywhere. He had more than 2 million Instagram followers by the time he was a junior in high school. His social media followers include entertainer Drake and NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Williams was also a trailblazer in terms of NIL. He became the first U.S. high school student to sign a shoe contract — a 4-year, $12 million deal in 2022. He was 17, and this came months after the NCAA permitted Name, Image and Likeness rights allowing student-athletes to earn income for who they are.
Williams now has 3.1 million followers on Instagram, where he goes by Mikey with the title of “God’s Child.” He is a fine student, proud of his 4.0 grade-point average at Sac State in his first year with the program. He is well-liked by his teammates.
But how did he wind up here?
‘Mikey needed a fresh start’
“It’s been a long road,” Williams said. “I’ve been humbled. It’s just great to be playing again. I belong here.”
Williams initially committed to Memphis State in late fall 2022, to play for retired NBA star Penny Hardaway. That arrangement never happened as Williams was involved in a real-life gun situation.
Williams and others faced gun charges after shots were fired at a car leaving his San Diego home on March 27, 2023. The car was struck but no one was hurt, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s news release on the incident. Williams accepted a plea deal by pleading guilty to one charge of making criminal threats, while other charges were dropped.
Williams said he regrets all of that experience. He lost his lucrative Puma deal because of the legal fallout. Legal bills sapped his savings from the shoe deal. He went from eating like a king to chowing down on noodles.
Williams wound up at the University of Central Florida, where he played 18 games and averaged 5.1 points. He wasn’t happy there and jumped into the transfer portal, eager for a fresh start.
Bibby grabbed him from there after the two had numerous talks of life and basketball. The former Sacramento Kings star guard gave Williams the ball as the lead point guard on a team that aims to push the tempo and to batter teams with the break and 3-point shooting, all of which fits Williams’ game.
Bibby told Williams that Sac State didn’t have NIL money to offer, but the Hornets did afford him a chance to lead a team again. Williams pounced on it.
“Mikey needed a fresh start,” Bibby said earlier this season. “I wanted him here because he’s a good kid, a good player. He can do great things here.”
And he has. Williams scored a career-best 34 points this season against Idaho State. He had 26 points in a 74-73 loss to first-place Portland State on Feb. 7, a game in which the Hornets lost at the wire.
Bibby took the blame for the loss, saying that he should have had Williams take the final shot. Williams said Bibby has been good for him, firm on fundamentals and non-negotiable on effort.
Williams has shaken off the rust of having very little game action in recent years to being one of the elite players in the Big Sky. He is a terrific ball handler, a capable shooter, a good passer and one heck of a dunker.
“I’m having fun again,” Williams said.
Williams and fellow guard Prophet Johnson represent the most dynamic 1-2 guard punch in the Big Sky. Johnson is averaging over 18 points per game.
“Love playing with him,” Johnson said of Williams. “Love his game. Followed him for years.”
Sac State is 9-2 at home and 5-1 in the Pavilion in the Big Sky. The Hornets are 9-15 overall. Away from home, the Hornets remain a work in progress to say the least. After Thursday night’s loss at Northern Colorado, Sac State fell to 0-13 on the road.
Williams is burdening this load, too. He’s used to it. He invites it.
“It’s always mental, and you win some, and you lose some,” Williams said. “We have to get to a point where we’re just super tired of losing on the road. I think we’re there.”
He added, “I’ve gone through a lot. I’ve grown. I’ll do whatever the coaches need me to do to help us win. I love doing this.”