Mark Williams is skeptical of reasoning behind failed Lakers physical

Mark Williams doesn't think he failed purely for health reasons.

Feb 1, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) shoots over Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) during the second half of play at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images / Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

After last night's upset victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams spoke with the media. Of course, the focus was all about his failed trade to the Lakers. For two days, Williams was headed to the Lakers until they rescinded his trade for a failed physical.

That sent him back to Charlotte, and he finally returned to action last night and had a near double-double in the Hornets' three-point win. Afterward, he spoke openly about what the situation was like and what he thought about it all.

🎙️ Mark Williams: "You go from getting traded, thinking you're going to LA, and then they choose to fail me on my physical."

"I don't know if, for them, it was about what they gave up or what went into that reasoning, but I don't think it was solely because of my physical." pic.twitter.com/e77Q1G9RV2

— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) February 20, 2025

"It's tough," he said with a smile. "You go from getting traded, thinking you're going to LA, but then they choose to fail me on my physical." He said there was a lot of back-and-forth before he got to play the Lakers.

The center added, "Like I said, I didn't think there was any world [where] I could fail my physical. Every time I've been out has been documented, so I don't know if for them it was what they gave up or what went into that reasoning, but I don't think it was solely because of my physical."

Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Williams has dealt with injuries throughout his career. He had a back injury that cost him the vast majority of last season. This year, he sat out at the beginning of the season with a foot injury and has missed time for rest/injury management since.

However, the night of the trade, he played, and he'd been in the lineup for a while for the most part. And now that he's back and back up to speed, he's playing again with the Hornets. His agent put out a statement that said multiple doctors believe the Lakers shouldn't have failed his physical today, and Williams shared that to his Instagram story.

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