Anne Stein

Mo Williams
Guard, Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 25

After T. J. Ford went down with a neck injury in 2004, Mississippi native Mo Williams was signed by the Bucks and played starting point guard for the 2004-05 season. When Ford was traded a year later, Williams reclaimed the job. Now in his fifth year, you’d be surprised at how Maurice calms himself before games.

What’s your game-day routine? I go home and me and my pit bull, Capone, take a nap or rest — I get off my feet. Then I eat salmon and rice or salmon and mashed potato before every game. I’ve been doing that for two years.

Explain the connection between you and Phil Collins: My freshman year in college (University of Alabama), I was trying to adjust to the different level of playing and for some reason I was uneasy before games — I wasn’t in the comfort zone. So a friend said, here’s Phil Collins. Play this song (In the Air Tonight) before every game and see how you feel. I’d never heard of him before.

I still listen to it before every game. It put me in so much of a zone that it became a ritual. I don’t listen to the song outside of playing basketball. It calms me down and eases my mind. It slows everything down. Otherwise, I’m an R&B guy, 70 percent, and hip-hop, 30 percent.

If you weren’t playing basketball what would you be doing? I have no earthly idea. Something productive, something that would support my family. I think my passion is coaching, not on the collegiate level, not on the professional level, but with youth, developing skills. I also have a passion for real estate — I own a few rental properties, here in Milwaukee and Mississippi.

What’s your favorite gadget? The iPhone, for sure.

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What’s your favorite movie? "Friday" with Chris Tucker and Ice Cube, all-time. I love mob movies — "Godfather", "Scarface". I saw "American Gangster" and it was good, real good. I’m a big fan of Denzel (Washington).

Is there an athlete you admire in another sport? I think Floyd Mayweather is a very talented athlete who I didn’t appreciate until a few summers ago when I trained all summer in boxing. I hit the heavy bag and the speed bag, all of it, and in my opinion boxers are the best conditioned athletes. I felt like it helped me as a basketball player. Floyd talks a lot of smack so that puts a bigger target on him, but he answers every time. I admire the work he puts in.

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