Mark Williams appears to have hard feelings when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Williams, whom the Charlotte Hornets dealt to the Lakers ahead of the NBA trade deadline, appeared ticketed to wear purple-and-gold before a failed physical nixed the deal. And the Hornets big man, who expressed his surprise that he failed his physical, seemed to question the Lakers' motives for making such a decision.
As it turns out, Williams's first game action since the nixed trade came Wednesday night against, guess who, the Lakers. And after Charlotte defeated Los Angeles 100–97 in exciting fashion, Williams took to his account on Instagram Thursday and seemed to shade Los Angeles with the caption he wrote on a post.
Mark Williams' latest IG caption after beating the Lakers 🍿 pic.twitter.com/QqGk0F5f9r
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 21, 2025
Williams's caption almost certainly has something to do with the sentiment from he and his agent that the Lakers used his failed physical as a means out of a trade they had second thoughts on.
"My agent told me [that the trade was rescinded]," Williams said per the Charlotte Observer. "I didn't think I had failed my physical. That didn't even cross my mind. The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn't think in any world that was possible.
"Since I've been back since the start of the year, I've played games with a lot of minutes. I feel like every injury I've had has been well-documented and I've recovered and been 100% since. So, I don't know what went into that decision. I think that's up to them."
In a similar vein, Williams's agent on Thursday refuted the Lakers' decision to fail the physical.
"The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical," Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management said in the statement. "Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity."
Williams has a lengthy injury history but did appear in each of the Hornets' three games in the lead-up to the trade. Charlotte had reached out to the NBA as they weighed avenues to challenge the Lakers' decision.
In 24 contests this season, Williams is averaging 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mark Williams Shades Lakers to Celebrate Hornets' Surprising Win After Nixed Trade.
