Source:
Icon
Sportswire
/
Getty
Portland
Trail
Blazers
forward
Robert
Williams
III
is
a
gamer
on
the
court
and
with
the
sticks
off
the
court.
The
man
known
as
Time
Lord
is
a
certified
Call
Of
Duty
fan
and
in
a
quick
interview
with
Hip-Hop
Wired,
he
offered
plenty
of
insight
into
getting
adjusted
to
his
new
Portland
surroundings
(he
was
traded
from
the
Celtics
in
the
summer—a
say
day
for
this
Celtics
fan
writer),
explained
the
joy
he
finds
in
gaming,
and
of
course
what
he’s
looking
forward
to
in
Call
Of
Duty:
Modern
Warfare
III.
Robert
Williams
III
says
he
was
initially
an
NBA
2K
player
but
got
into
Call
Of
Duty
during
his
rookie
year
(he
was
drafted
in
2018,
so
we’re
talking
Call
of
Duty:
Black
Ops
4
era).
After
admittedly
taking
a
break
for
a
year,
he’s
been
back
in
full
swing
ever
since.
The
franchise
aligns
with
the
high-flying
forward’s
NBA
travel
grind
and
keeps
him
trouble-free.
“It’s
a
mixture
of
things,”
said
Williams
about
why
he
plays.
“It’s
unwinding.
A
lot
of
times
[instead]
of
going
out
and
making
some
bad
decisions,
Call
Of
Duty
will
help
you
make
great
decisions.
Just
being
able
to
communicate
with
people
around
the
world.
Being
able
to
communicate
with
my
fam
back
home
over
the
game—kind
of
go
through
therapy
sessions.
We
may
get
into
a
party
and
not
even
start
the
match
for
30
minutes,
just
talking
to
each
other.”
With
Call
Of
Duty:
Modern
Warfare
III on
the
horizon,
which
lands
this
Friday
(November
10),
Williams
is
looking
forward
to
getting
as
comfortable
with
the
new
title
as
he
is
on
the
court.
“I
love
it,
man,”
said
Williams
of
the
early
taste
of
the
game
he
was
granted.
“I
feel
like
Call
Of
Duty
surprises
us
every
time.
We
ask
ourselves
what
they
can
do
to
make
it
better
or
we
suggest
stuff
that
would
make
it
better
and
a
lot
of
the
times
the
stuff
that
people
suggest
will
really
make
the
game
terrible.
We
don’t
realize
it.
I
think
they
did
a
great
job.
I’m
ready
to
play
the
campaign.
I
want
to
see
what
the
rest
of
the
game
has
in
store.”
If
you
think
Williams
dropped
a
generic
answer,
he
confirmed
that
he
was
legit
when
detailing
his
style
of
gameplay.
“I
was
the
type
where
when
I
first
started
playing
[I’d
let]
my
friends
go
on
fighting
[and]
I
was
the
sniper
that
sat
in
the
back
the
whole
time.
I’m
marking
people.
[But
then]
I
fell
in
love
with
SMG’s.
I
really
miss
the
Cooper
Carbine
[Ed.
Note:
from
Call
Of
Duty:
Vanguard],
I
miss
those
bad,”
Williams
said.
Williams’
gritty
play
on
the
court
will
surely
be
missed
by
Boston
Celtics
fans.
His
new
home
and
team
of
Portland
are
already
treating
him
well.
“It
was
just
tough
getting
adjusted
to
the
West
Coast
time
coming
from
Boston,”
Williams
shared.
“But
the
city
of
Portland
is
amazing,
man.
People
[have]
been
welcoming
me.
Been
trying
to
find
some
good
food.
The
nature
is
crazy,
the
trees,
the
wilderness
out
there
is
crazy.”
As
a
testament
to
the
type
of
person
he
is,
he’s
already
eyeing
ways
to
give
back
to
his
new
city.
“Obviously
it’s
not
a
celebratory
topic,
but
I
think
Portland’s
homelessness
is
probably
the
worst
I’ve
ever
seen
in
my
life,
so
I’m
trying
to
figure
out
the
next
steps
to
get
involved
and
try
to
help
with
that,”
Williams
said.
In
2022,
Portland
ranked
25th
nationwide
in
homelessness;
per
Axios,
the
homeless
rate
rose
20
percent
in
2023.
Williams,
a
well-paid
pro
athlete,
displaying
such
empathy
is
a
testament
to
the
type
of
teammate
he
is.
This
is
often
glossed
over
by
those
covering
him
in
the
press.
“I’m
a
people
person,”
said
Williams
when
asked
what’s
the
most
underrated
part
of
his
NBA
game.
”
Anything
I
can
do
to
help
the
team.
Anything
I
can
do
to
help
my
coaches,
any
given
time
on
and
off
the
court.
This
is
what
I
am.
I
know
I
look
unapproachable,
I
got
neck
tattoos
and
all
that
man,
but
I’ma
cool
person.”
Unfortunately
for
Blazers
fans,
Williams
will
have
more
time
to
play
Call
Of
Duty
since
he
recently
suffered
a
knee
injury
that
will
sideline
him
for
a
least
a
few
months
(we
conducted
this
interview
a
short
while
ago).
But
you
can
guarantee
he’ll
be
back,
stronger
than
ever.
Get
well
soon,
Robert
Williams
III.
We
got
your
six.
—
Photo:
Getty
