Lou Williams has now returned home as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. But the three-time Sixth Man of the Year will forever be a fixture with the Los Angeles Clippers and their fans.

In a recent sit down with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Lou Williams was vocal about this potentially being his last season in the NBA. In the interview, he opened up about how that was very nearly the case last season after the Clippers traded him and how the he dealt with the crippling reality of possibly ending his 17-year NBA career.

“I had conversations with my family and my friends,” said Williams after being traded away from the Clippers. “And I was like, ‘It's over.' I think this has come to an end and I kind of cried a little bit. I'll be open about that. I kind of cried. I took a nap and I woke up. Then I just had a conversation with my agent and he was like, ‘Man, just take a deep breath and we'll talk tomorrow.'”

“I was on that wave. I just felt like I had put so much time, energy, and effort into creating this special place in LA. I felt like I owed that to the Clipper fans. I wanted to do that for that fanbase.”

Lou Williams spent just four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. But he's a prime example of how the quality of time outweighs the quantity.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Trent Forrest in an Atlanta Hawks jersey with the Hawks arena in the background

David Yapkowitz ·

Mavericks' Kyrie Irving, Mavericks' Jason Kidd both in front. Mavericks and Clippers logos in background.

Joey Mistretta ·

Clippers Kawhi Leonard with speech bubble "I'm back" with Mavericks Luka Doncic smaller in background.

Tomer Azarly ·

He helped forge the identity the Clippers had built as they bridged the Chris Paul era with the current iteration spearheaded by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. He played like a borderline All-Star in his first two seasons, despite the fact that he was coming off the bench.
Lou Williams was a big reason why they somehow managed to maintain a winning record despite the fact that the team moved on from CP3 and eventually Blake Griffin. There's a legitimate case to make that Kawhi and PG may not have seen the Clippers as an attractive a destination as they did without Sweet Lou keeping them afloat.

Now entering his final season with the Atlanta Hawks, Lou Williams can go out on his own terms.