Ingrid Williams’ Spirit Lives on in OKC
by Nick Gallo | Thunder Basketball Writer | mailbag@okcthunder.comPhotography by Zach Beeker | OKC Thunder
Just under two years ago, there was a man living in the Shidler-Wheeler neighborhood who was suffering from cancer. He learned this news while trying to take care of seven children on his own. Thankfully, an angel arrived in the form of Ingrid Williams, the late wife of former Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams.
For months, Ingrid Williams cooked meals for this man and his children, literally feeding a family in dire circumstances. That was her nature, to give and be a blessing to others both through her work at FaithWorks of the Inner City, a community center in the south Oklahoma City neighborhood, and through the spirit she carried with her every day.
Thunder players got to know her well during the time she spent in Oklahoma City before her tragic death in a car accident last February. On Friday, Thunder players, coaches and staff were on hand as the Thunder Cares Foundation and HomeCourt Support teamed up to build the Ingrid Williams Memorial Basketball Court on FaithWorks’ property. Now, the children that Williams impacted while she lived will be able to feel her presence, love and care for years and years to come.
One Thunder player, Anthony Morrow, has known her for years dating back to his time with the New Orleans Pelicans, where Monty Williams served as head coach.
“I haven’t met anyone that caring, that giving, that selfless in my lifetime,” Morrow said. “It’s fitting for her to bring kids together.”
FaithWorks is a nonprofit ministry that fills many of the needs of inner city children and their families through working with Shidler Elementary school and the Shidler-Wheeler community. Nearly 200 children, who otherwise would have nowhere to go, attend FaithWorks every day after school. In the Shidler-Wheeler neighborhood, the Thunder-blue court will be the jewel, and a safe haven for children to simply be kids.
“This community has been here for a long time and it’s always been a forgotten community,” Faithworks Executive Director Sally Goin said. “One of the missions of Faithworks is to create a community that people want to continue to live in.”
“It gives a sense of pride to our neighborhood, a sense of community, a safe place to come and play and that’s exactly what Ingrid would have wanted,” Goin added.
FaithWorks Court Dedication. Representatives from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Thunder Cares Foundation, Home-Court Support and FaithWorks of the Inner City.
This is why we play. Andre Roberson along with Thunder teammates, coaches and staffers took part in the ceremony.
Coming together. Enes Kanter: “This court means a lot. She always brings everybody together.”
A spirit of giving. "She left an indelible mark on my heart and I know the heart of so many others." - Chris Grant, wife of Thunder assistant coach Anthony Grant.
Watch: Coming Together for Ingrid Williams