For many, life can be a series of misfortunes, regrets and mistakes. But for former Duke standout Jay Williams, as the title of his book says, life is not an accident.
Wednesday night at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, Williams returned to the city where he spent his college days. He spoke with an audience of more than 100 people for nearly 45 minutes and then signed copies of his newly-published memoir, Life is Not An Accident. The book discusses Williams' near-miss with death in 2003, when he crashed his motorcycle into a pole, causing severe knee damage and essentially ending his basketball career.
As he explained, the almost four-year process of writing, editing and publishing a book went much deeper than simply putting words on a page.
"For a long time, I was held captive and I was chained to my own misery and my own past," Williams said. "It was not until I had truly had written this book and gone through the process over the last three-and-a-half to four years that now I finally feel like I'm in the present and I look forward to the future."
The second overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft led the Blue Devils to a national championship in 2001 and won the Naismith Award—presented to the top player in college basketball—the following season.
After he was selected by the Chicago Bulls, though, his life unraveled as the fame of being a professional basketball player caught up with Williams. Ultimately, the nearly-fatal accident and the ensuing trauma brought the Plainsfield, N.J., native to his lowest point.
But Williams, now 34, did not want to wait any longer tell his story.
"I didn't know if I was going to be here to see 22 years old, let alone wait until I was 50 or 60 to write a book," he said. "Everything isn't easy, but I think there's a process and one of the most beautiful things I've learned to trust in is struggle...I don't want my life to be happy, happy, happy all the time."
Williams opened the floor to the audience, who asked questions ranging from the "Miracle Minute" against Maryland in 2001, the recruiting process that brought him to Duke and his current job as a on-air college basketball analyst for ESPN. He also talked about his family and the many people that played a role in putting his book together.
"I think that one of the things that makes our time here so authentic and real is the fact that [life] is a roller coaster," Williams said. "You can appreciate the highs and you can appreciate the lows, too, and sometimes, when you hit rock bottom, you have to find a team of people around you.... I'm lucky to have those people."
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Twitter: @mpgladstone13
A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak."