Top basketball recruit Mikey Williams pleads not guilty to five felony gun charges

Top high school basketball star Mikey Williams landed in some hot water last week, when The San Diego Union Tribune first reported Friday morning that a person matching Williams’ description was arrested over allegations of assault with a firearm. 

After CBS 8 San Diego confirmed with the San Diego Sheriff’s department that Williams was indeed the man arrested on five charges of assault with a deadly weapon, many were shocked.

Now, the latest development of the case has come to light, as Parth Upadhyaya of The Daily Memphian shared that Williams has pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

“BREAKING: Mikey Williams has pleaded not guilty to five counts of felony assault with a firearm, per San Diego’s CBS 8,” tweeted Upadhyaya. “Williams is due back in court for a preliminary hearing June 29.

“He faces a maximum of 28 years in prison if convicted on all charges.”

Now, the basketball world awaits what’s next for Mikey Williams as it pertains to the gun charges. If convicted, his promising career would take a huge early hit due to the troubling news.

More on Mikey Williams, arrest details

For added context, here was the Tribune’s initial report with more of the arrest details: 

“A man matching the description of high school basketball star Mikey Williams was arrested Thursday in Jamul on multiple (five) allegations of assault with a firearm, sheriff’s officials said. 

“He was being held at San Diego Central Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to online jail records. Michael Anthony Williams, with a birthdate of June 26, 2004, was arrested on Bratton Valley Road near Honey Springs Road, said Lt. Matthew Carpenter.”

The report also stated the arrest occurred around 3:30 p.m. PT in the afternoon on Bratton Valley Road, where Williams apparently owns a house that he purchased for $1.2 million last year. Also, every public listing of Williams’ birthday matches the June 26 date given in the police report.

Williams is one of the most recognizable high school basketball players in the country and is signed to play for Memphis and head coach Penny Hardaway next season. He also has one of the highest On3 NIL Valuations in the country, with a $3.9 million NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 4 in the NIL100 and No. 2 among all high school basketball players. 

While he’s probably more famous on social media than on the basketball court, Williams is one of the highest-ranked players in his entire class. The On3 Industry Rankings peg him as a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 24 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. He’s also rated as the No. 3 combo guard and the No. 5 player in California.

On3’s Alex Weber contributed to this article.