Jay Williams hasn’t lost his touch on the basketball court. On Saturday, he was at Auburn’s Neville Arena while ESPN College GameDay set up before the game featuring the No. 1 Tigers and No. 6 Tennessee. There were tense moments before the show began, with reports of a “stampede” from fans as the arena opened its doors, leading to “a few minor injuries,” according to a statement from Auburn.
Once everything was settled, Williams invited a student to participate in the half-court challenge, offering a chance to win $19,000 by hitting a shot from midcourt within 19 seconds. He jokingly asked the student what he would buy if he made the shot: “I’ll buy you everything tonight at the bar, you save your money,” Williams jested. He dribbled the ball, tried to summon “good karma for you,” and launched a shot that banked off the backboard and went in (though technically he didn’t call the bank).
.@RealJayWilliams really did this live on College GameDay 😅 pic.twitter.com/LtOZYgkuwF
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 25, 2025
“That should be 19 grand,” Williams stated as host Rece Davis welcomed him. However, Davis clarified, “You just won $19.” Although the student didn’t hit the shot—leading Williams to promise he would match the $19,000 prize if he did—Davis suggested that Williams triple the fan’s $1,900 consolation prize instead.
Jay Williams vowed to personally match the $19,000 prize for a student if he hit a halfcourt shot on “College GameDay.” But that didn’t happen. Williams did say he’d triple the $1,900 consolation prize, though. pic.twitter.com/IhTxSDbA9k
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 25, 2025
Williams, who won a national championship and national player of the year honors at Duke, was selected No. 2 overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. Though a motorcycle accident in June 2003 ended his NBA career, his performance on Saturday proved he’s still got game.
