Mikey Williams, one of the best and most popular high school hoops stars in the nation, reportedly was arrested in San Diego on Thursday on multiple felony assault charges.
Williams is part of Penny Hardaway’s incoming class for the Memphis Tigers. His arrest may complicate matters.
What Is Williams Being Charged With?
According to San Diego Sheriff’s Department Lt. Gavin Lanning, Williams paid a $50,000 bond and was released at 12:14 a.m. on Friday. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday, March 20.
Police documents list multiple alleged counts of assault with a deadly weapon against Williams, according to police documents, but he is likely facing only one charge, per the sheriff’s pepartment.
Williams, who is ranked 34th in ESPN’s list of the top-100 recruits in the 2023 class, is accused of violating California penal code Chapter 9, a (2), which involves “any person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a firearm.” The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.
The University of Memphis is aware of the situation with Williams and is “gathering more information.”
Williams Is Already A Millionaire
Williams was arrested in the San Diego suburb of Jamul on Bratton Road. He purchased a 3,700-square-foot home on Bratton Valley Road last summer for $1.2 million and was living in it with a teammate from San Ysidro High School.
According to On3, which tracks the value of NIL deals signed by high school and college athletes, Williams’ annual value from deals is a reported $3.3 million. That ranks him fourth in the country behind fellow hoops star Bronny James, Texas freshman QB Arch Manning, and LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.
Williams has deals with Cash App and Puma.
He has been a YouTube sensation since his early high school days at San Ysidro where he was named the 2019-20 MaxPreps national freshman basketball player of the year before transferring to Lake Norman Christian in North Carolina amidst the COVID-19 pandemic for his sophomore season and Vertical Academy in North Carolina for his junior season. Williams was back at San Ysidro for his senior season.
There was talk of Williams potentially skipping college and playing one year professionally before entering the NBA draft in 2024. But his father Mahlon Williams said last April that college for a year was always the plan.
“He’s definitely going to college,” Mahlon Williams, Mikey’s father, told the Charlotte Observer in February 2022. “Me and him had a really long discussion about that a couple of days ago. Every six months or so, we kind of gauge where we’re at, and he wants to be a part of the college environment.”
Williams signed with Memphis later that year and all looked to be going well for the teenager with everything right in front of him.
Now he’s facing a felony gun charge and his playing future might be in jeopardy.
This moment is where Williams needs to take stock of the opportunity in front of him and what he could do if he keeps his focus on developing as a young man and as a basketball player.
