Lou Williams claimed he had yet to receive the coveted Roc-A-Fella chain Jay-Z had promised him after checking off the Brooklyn rap legend's requirements to get one.
On an episode of The Underground Lounge earlier this month, the three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year shared a hilarious story about his first meeting with Hov back in high school. According to Williams, LeBron James initiated their meet-up, and Jay wasted no time asking if he was "nice for real."
"Bron introduced me to Jay and Jay was on the phone and Jay say, 'You like that for real?'," Williams recalled. "I say, 'Yea I'm nice for real.' He said, 'Man, you average 30 points this year and win a state championship, I'll give you a Roc-A-Fella chain.'"
Williams added that he took Hov's promise and averaged 37 points while also winning state. Even though he had the requirements, the Roc chain never came in, as Williams said he hadn't seen Jay-Z in "15 years."
The Roc-A-Fella chain is widely considered a hip-hop treasure, with Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke rocking it throughout the label's early run and bestowing it upon those who earned it, whether through dropping a hit single or showing their worth in the studio. Once the label closed its doors in the mid-2000s, Jay continued gifting the chain to people outside the music industry, including LeBron James, Jamal Crawford, LaMelo Ball, and more.
Williams was a dominant force at South Gwinnett High School and one of the greatest players to come out of Georgia. He was a four-time All-State selection and was named Georgia's "Mr. Basketball" his junior and senior year. That state championship he won came in his junior year. He also earned Naismith Prep Player of the Year at the end of his senior year, became a McDonald's All-American, and finished as the all-time leading scorer in Georgia high school basketball history.
Going into college, Williams was a five-star recruit and ranked the No. 1 shooting guard in the country and No. 3 overall player. He originally committed to the University of Georgia but ended up entering the 2005 NBA Draft. Williams revealed that meeting with Jay-Z actually helped him decide to pursue an NBA career.
"I had this one night, LeBron and [Maverick Carter] introduced me to Jay-Z. I kicked it with Jay for a night and I went to school the next day. And I was looking around the class, like, 'I'm nothing like none of y'all.,'" said Lou Will. "I start experiencing different shit, so I was like, I'm not going to sit in another classroom after this. I literally can't do it, I don't think that's going to be the path for me. So, I start preparing myself like I'm going to the NBA."