The Heart of the Minnesota Lynx, Courtney Williams

On game days in the WNBA, teams typically meet in the morning for a “shootaround,” a short drill to make a few shots and go over the game plan.

Shootouts often end with a bit of fun – a half-court shooting competition among players, with a video of the winner shown on social media. That contest was underway Wednesday morning as reporters were allowed into the Lynx shootaround at Target Center before Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with Phoenix.

All-Star guard Kayla McBride and backup Olivia Époupa had already shot half-court shots when starting point guard Courtney Williams — the one with the short bleached hair, pink sneakers and exuberant personality — approached to shoot. Williams hit about a dozen quick, two-handed dribbles, took two steps and fired her shot. Swish. A happy Williams grabbed the laughing Époupa and then celebrated with a little solo dance.

It took several rounds to break the three-way tie. McBride finally made it and began her own long dance.

“And I lost,” Williams said, tempering her slight disappointment with a smile.

A free agent from Chicago, the veteran Williams brought a playful spirit and a fiercely competitive spirit to the Lynx, who advanced to Sunday's WNBA semifinals against the Connecticut Sun by winning the best-of-three series from Phoenix. Call it what you will — courage, a head start, whatever — but Williams gives the Lynx a fire that has been missing since their run of four league championships ended in 2017.

Whether it's kicking the crowd after a three-pointer, insulting opponents or chest-pushing a teammate after a big play, the 5-foot-10 Williams brings great energy every night. Her success in mid-range shooting, playmaking and pick-and-roll with league MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier helped the Lynx post the Olympic break to the league's best record (13-2) and second place in regular season scoring with 30 -10.

“She embraces everyone around her, and I think that’s why we have such good chemistry, especially this year,” said Lynx CEO Clare Duwelius. “She’s one of the main reasons we’re enjoying some of these things and moments this year.”

Williams' blunt honesty and tireless support are well-received by her teammates and coaches. Forward Bridget Carleton finished third in voting for the league's Most Improved Player with a breakthrough offensive season that she attributes in part to Williams, a teammate at Connecticut when she entered the league in 2019.

“She builds me up,” Carleton said. “I really appreciate that about Courtney. She is always in my ear telling me to stay confident and shoot. She'll come at me if I miss a shot. She gets mad at me and tells me not to do it again. I really appreciate that about her and her leadership.”

That leadership includes Williams and backup guard Natisha Hiedeman, another former Sun, who cheered on their teammates with pregame dances in the locker room to a song that Williams playfully declined to reveal. (Hey, you can't tell the media everything.)

“It’s so much fun, man. We have a lot of fun together,” Williams said. “I think you can see when we translate it on the pitch how much we like each other. We have a good time – a great time.

“When it’s time to buckle down and do what we need to do, that’s what we do.”

Williams credits her parents for her basketball skills and competitiveness. At Charlton County High School in Folkston, Georgia, her mother, then known as Michele Granger, held the single-game scoring record of 40 points until Williams scored 42 points in her junior year. Her father, Donald Williams, constantly challenged her athletically. He set up the basketball goal at their house so the neighborhood kids could come over and play.

“Mom got a lot of the hype, but Pops was busy too,” Williams said. “He was one of those kids who was just incredibly athletic for no reason and would do backflips everywhere. He was just an athlete. He can still do a backflip.

“He was the one who said, 'Let's run outside.' If you get me back to the house quicker, I'll give you $20.' I hit him for the first time when I got to college, so he knows he can't mess with me now. But for a long time it would always be him who kept me out. “Come on, let’s play basketball.” “Come on, let’s go running.” In all sporting activities, he was always the right one.”

And when they did hoop, Pops never took it easy on her.

“He always talked nonsense to me,” she said. “He always told me, 'If you're going to talk nonsense, you'd better be able to back it up.' So that was always the motto. He did it to me, so now I’m doing it to everyone else.”

A graduate of the University of South Florida, Williams was a first-team All-American and went to the WNBA and Phoenix as the No. 8 overall pick in 2016. She was traded to Connecticut at the start of her rookie season and spent most of her career with the Sun, from 2016 to 2019 and again in 2022. She played in the WNBA Finals there twice before signing with Chicago as a free agent last year signed. Her only All-Star appearance came in 2021 with Atlanta.

With the Sky she moved from wing guard to point. Williams has adapted well enough to intrigue the Lynx, who have gone through a number of point guards since Lindsay Whalen's retirement in 2018. Some could score, some could distribute, some could defend. But no one combined all of these important skills to Coach Cheryl Reeve's liking.

“I think overall Courtney had a lot of experience in the postseason,” Duwelius said. “That was attractive. She's great in the pick-and-roll and we wanted to expose a few things between Phee (Collier) and her.

“The biggest thing is she has what people call 'the dog.'” She can execute late-game. She can be our preferred player for whom no moment is too big and she will simply rise to the occasion. That’s something we obviously thought we needed to make late playoff pushes and get deeper into the postseason.”

On the first day of free agency, Williams met with Lynx staff via a Zoom call. Reeve, who is also the club's president of basketball operations, knew Williams from a brief encounter at a basketball camp in the United States and was impressed by her tell-it-like-it-is approach – a perfect fit Reeve.

“Just the little communication I had with her told me I could rock with this player,” Reeve said. The call went well and Williams flew to Minneapolis for a visit. She ultimately signed for two seasons.

“Honestly, when we talked to Courtney, we knew she would be a good fit for us,” Duwelius said. “She’s going to call it like she sees it, which is exactly how Cheryl is and how we like to operate.

“I particularly enjoyed witnessing their relationship, simply because they both kind of speak the same language. She was a really good liaison from the coaching staff to the rest of the team.”

On the court, Williams exudes confidence, a sort of cross between Whalen and Diana Taurasi. Observant Target Center fans could see that earlier this season against Atlanta.

Just before halftime, Williams was fouled on a three-point attempt and went to the line with Tina Charles, the WNBA's all-time star, running behind her. Williams and Charles are friends, and Charles playfully asked if Williams could play three-on-three. Challenge accepted. Williams hit them all, yapping and pointing at Charles between shots.

“Every time I made one,” Williams said with a smile, “I had to let them know.”

Williams struggled early with her jump shot after tearing a ligament in her right thumb near the end of training camp. The month-long Olympic break helped with healing, and Williams' performance improved over time. After shooting 39.6% and averaging 9.8 points per game before the break, Williams improved to 51.1% and 13.4 points after the break and finished the season with an average of 11.1 points and 5.5 assists. She delivered one of her best performances against Chicago on September 1, scoring 10 of her 22 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the fourth quarter as the Lynx cruised past the Sky 79-74.

Collier, who broke Maya Moore's club playoff record with 42 points in Game 2 on Wednesday night, is the Lynx's undisputed scoring leader. But Williams may be the heart pounding and talking trash.

“When Cheryl joined this team, she said to me, 'Keep your voice, I will support you in everything you say,'” Williams said. “I think it gave me the comfort of knowing, OK, I can be myself. I can try to coach some of the girls, most of the girls, all of the girls. Because from top to bottom everyone is super coachable, including me. We all just want to learn.

“Cheryl and her staff have been there before, right? Since they already have the blueprint, we are just here to follow them.”

Pat Borzi

Pat Borzi is a writer at MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter @BorzMN.

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