Grant Williams: What NBA Players Know That Collectors Don’t
6/23/202641 min
Ryan Alford talks with Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams about the hobby from a perspective most collectors never get to hear: a real NBA player who is also a real collector. Grant shares how he moved from Pokémon into sports cards, what it was like to pull his own auto, and how he now thinks about collecting across basketball, soccer, football, and TCG.
The conversation goes deeper than a typical athlete interview. Grant breaks down the structure of his collection into personal cards, long-term assets, and liquid cards, while also talking through the players he believes in, the cards he wishes he had bought earlier, and the ones he would never sell.
They also get into redemption culture, the truth about sticker autos versus on-card autos, and why collecting with family creates the kinds of memories that make the hobby bigger than just value. It is a smart, relaxed episode that feels like two people who actually understand the hobby talking about why it still matters.
Topics Covered
- Grant Williams’ return to collecting through Pokémon
- His shift into sports cards after Fanatics Fest
- Favorite pulls, forever cards, and long-term holds
- Why Victor Wembanyama became such a major chase
- The truth about redemption cards from a player’s perspective
- Why on-card autos are better than sticker autos
- How Grant separates his PC, asset, and liquid inventory
- Ryan Alford and Grant Williams on collecting, family, and hobby culture
Collector Nation
https://www.collectibles.show/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/collector-nation/id1832831782
https://open.spotify.com/show/7smmwVvlXIYBqdBm3oXdLV
Ryan Alford
https://www.ryanalford.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
Grant Williams
https://www.nba.com/player/1629684/grant-williams
https://www.instagram.com/grantwill2/
https://www.instagram.com/grantwill2collects/
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[upbeat music] This 4th of July at Lowe's, save up to 45% on select appliances. Plus, save $80 on a Char-Broil Performance Series gas grill, now $299. Our best selection is here at Lowe's. Lowe's: We help you save. Offer valid through 7/8, while supplies last. Selection varies by region. Details at Lowes.com. Visit your local Lowe's.
Speaker 20:26
Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail? Filters ready to clog? HVAC on its last leg? If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering, and 24/7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done.
Ryan Alford· Host0:59
I never pulled my own auto rookie because I don't have one. What's that like?
Grant Williams· Guest1:04
Box of Panini 101, and I hadn't ripped that product ever. Sure, it's my rookie year. I've never done this before. And I open it, and it's a Celtics box, and pulled Romeo Langford out. I was like, "Cool." I look down, and it's me.
Ryan Alford· Host1:16
[laughs] Staring back at ya.
Grant Williams· Guest1:19
What are the odds that the one box you've had in your closet for the past four years, hoping that Zion was gonna be amazing, had me in it?
Speaker 51:25
Welcome to The Collector Nation Podcast, here