Mikey Williams talks fame, feeling disrespected, recruitment, and more

Mikey Williams is far from your average 17-year old high school junior. In fact, there has never been a player quite like him. Sure, you have the Ball Brothers, and of course Bronny James, but Williams’ track was different. He doesn’t have any famous brothers or a famous father. Mikey is a self-made marketing genius. By amassing nearly 5 million followers across his social media networks, could he be called anything else?

On3 released their NIL Valuations in early December, and Mikey’s rolled in at an incredible $2.6 million, and that valuation has since increased to $2.9 million. He ranks second in the On3 NIL 100, only behind Bronny James. On top of that, Williams inked a deal with Puma last October, making him the first American high school basketball player to sign a sneaker deal with a global footwear company. He also appears in an NBA 2K commercial with Celtics star Jayson Tatum, and if you flashback to 2020, Mikey appeared in a video for Drake, promoting his new clothing line.

All the early fame is undeniably difficult for anyone to handle, let alone a junior in high school. Mikey spoke postgame after his Vertical (N.C) Academy team took down Westtown (Pa.) School at the Hoophall Classic over the MLK weekend, where he admitted there was a time when it all took a toll on him.

“Social media, all of that, that really affects your mental… I had to find myself again. I had to remember who I was and the work that I put in. So I tend not to care about what people say anymore. I try to stay out of comments. I feel like if people have opinions on me and I’m being talked about like I am, then I’m doing something right.”

Williams is a celebrity, there is no denying that. With that comes a lot of attention, and fan love, but does he ever wish he was just a normal high school kid?

“I do miss times where I can go in public, you know go to the mall,” he says. “Now I have to wear a ski mask, and I have to send people to the store for me. I appreciate all my homeboys for being able to do that for me. It’s crazy.”

On top of all the stardom, Mikey and his Vertical Academy squad play a national schedule, traveling all around the United States.

“We go from city to city. It feels like we’re on tour,” Williams says. “No other team in the country is doing this. Almost reminds me of LeBron when he was in high school.”

Williams started catching the public’s eye when he was just a freshman in high school. As time has gone on, Williams has gotten used to what the lifestyle brings, including playing on national TV, where that too, has started to become routine.

“I just thank God for the experience but it’s become kind of normal to me. It’s just another game to me. I forgot I’m even on TV sometimes, to be honest.”

With all the fame and attention, Williams feels he has a point to prove on the court. After posting 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and six steals in the win over Westtown and Duke signee Dereck Lively, Williams said he played “with a chip on my shoulder.” When asked to elaborate, he explained, “I feel like I’ve been disrespected in the rankings. There’s not 11, 12 players in my class better than me so I feel like I have a point to prove.”

Recruitment of Mikey Williams remains unclear

Williams ranks No. 13 overall in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average utilizing all four major recruiting services. The five-star recruit has amassed over 20 scholarship offers. In 2020, Williams announced an early top ten schools, that featured the likes of Kansas, San Diego State, USC, Memphis, Arizona State, North Carolina Central, Alabama State, Texas Southern, Tennessee State, and Hampton. Later that year, Williams reopened his recruitment and things have been much quieter since.

When asked if he was leaning more towards going pro, or the college route, Williams responded, “I’m not sure yet. Obviously, I have a minute to decide that.” In regards to his recruitment, Kansas is the only school that Williams properly named. “There’s a lot. It’s been really hard to keep track of it but Kansas has been recruiting me really hard, HBCU’s, and a few others.” 

Williams hasn’t taken any college visits and says he will worry about that after the high school season.

Let’s make something clear, even with NIL, Mikey Williams is doing just fine financially. It’s hard to imagine Williams attending college at this point, however, we can’t officially rule anything out until it’s official.