Coach Monty Williams confessed he almost passed on the Pistons job because his wife was recently diagnosed with cancer

Former Phoenix coach Monty Williams finally opened up about an off-court situation that kept him distracted from basketball matters during these past couple of months, and even admitted that he considered passing the option to become the new Detroit trainer due to this personal circumstance.

During his introductory press conference in Michigan, the 51-year-old explained that his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer as he was competing in these past NBA playoffs.

“The reason that I bring it up is to not to talk about my family, but to make it more of an emphasis that women need early detection and testing,” he said this Tuesday. “We had genetic testing done and then scan after scan after scan and then we found it early and that may have saved my wife’s life and it can save others.”

Williams took the opportunity to thank Pistons general manager Troy Weaver and team owner Tom Gores for understanding that this health situation played a big role in the process of accepting this new position.

“I had a situation in my family that needed personal attention,” the coach shared. “I talked to my wife about whether we should talk about that publicly, but that was a huge part of my decision making and the patience that Troy and Mr. Gores had with me and with us as we navigated that told me a lot.”

Take a look at William’s full introductory press conference celebrated in Michigan this Tuesday:

The former basketball player confessed that initially he told the front office that he must decline the offer to become Detroit’s new trainer because of his wife’s cancer.

“As we navigated all of that, in talking to Troy and telling him, man, I couldn’t right now because I got to take care of my family,” Williams explained. “And then we got great news that we would find out about her situation a lot earlier than we thought we would and out of the blue, I got a text from Troy after they had their pow wow about me, which I thought was totally off the table.”

Monty went into detail about how he found out about the opportunity to lead the Detroit franchise

Williams shared the details on how he was feeling when the Pistons knocked on his door to propose the new job opportunity. Back in April, he was at his son’s tryout when receiving Weaver’s text. It is important to mention that the basketball coach lost his first wife to a car accident back in 2016.

“All of that was on my plate,” Williams expressed. “Losing a job, family situation and then being dad, traveling with my kids and doing a few things and out of the blue, I get the text from Troy, and then it went quickly after that.”

Even though the Suns discharged Williams after losing Game 6 of the Western Conference’s semifinals, he admits that he still feels a big connection to the Arizona club that’s now under new team owner Mat Ishbia.

“I’ll always look at that as a special place in my history as a coach and as a person,” said the new Pistons boss. “Before I went to Phoenix, I was viewed a certain way. That experience has allowed for me to be here. So for me to sit here and say that I’ve moved on, that’s just not the case. I love those people there. I’m grateful for what they did for me and my family.”