Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, music was a big part of former NBA player Lou Williams . It was a passion he carried with him throughout his NBA career and continues to embrace in retirement.
Lou Will developed his musical palette along with his older siblings at an early age in the 1990s. Their household was filled with the music of diverse artists, including Boyz II Men TLC and UGK.
Basketball took a more prominent focus for Williams when he became a teenager and it did not take long for him to apply for the NBA Draft right after high school. He was selected in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005 and went on to play for six teams in 17 years in the league, becoming one of the all-time best Sixth Men players.
But while he excelled in basketball, Williams continued to cultivate his passion for music along the way, which is now helping him as the boss of his own independent record music label, Winners United.
Lou Will founded Winners United at the tail end of his successful NBA career, during which he won three Sixth Man of the Year awards, tied with Jamal Crawford for most in league history.
Having his own label was a realization of Williams' dream of becoming part of the music industry and helping talented artists get their platform to showcase their abilities and pursue stardom.
Among the artists he has been able to sign was rapper Akeem Ali. Known as the "North Star" of the label, the Jackson, Mississippi rapper went viral with his 1970s pimp-culture alter-ego "Keemy Casanova" and later released the EP "Mack in The Day" and debut album "D.E.A.D (Do Em All Dirty)."
Since signing with Winners United, Ali has significantly grown his following and his music has accumulated millions of streams across various platforms.
This year, the rapper released "The Texture Tape 3" album and is currently in the middle of a concert tour.
In his recent appearance on Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady's "Cousin" podcast, Williams discussed signing Ali and the working relationship they have built over the years.
"I got lucky with Akeem Ali. He believed in what I was trying to build. He wanted to find a partner where he can have some flexibility and still be his own boss and have some backing and work with somebody that was trying to do the same thing that he was trying to do. And it was a match. It worked for us," Williams said .
"He's been signed to me for about four or five years now. We've been working together. He's moving so fast that he's a star on his own. Even when we're not seeing eye to eye, he'll still shoot me a text. And then we can get back to business. That's one of the great things that I can say about our relationship," he added.
Apart from his work with Winners United, Williams is also busy with basketball-related activities. He is a co-host/analyst on FanDuelTV's "Run It Back" show, where they discuss current league news and other storylines. On the podcast "The Underground Lounge," meanwhile, he talks with former players and other sports personalities.
"A lot of times, [retirement] would scare you because you don't have a backup plan. You don't have anything to look forward to. I got so many different things to look forward to," Williams told Boardroom, explaining how he is approaching life after basketball.
Lou Will's passion for music had to take a back seat while he built his legacy in basketball. Fortunately, retirement has given him the opportunity to revisit it and is doing well as he sees his goals in the music industry through.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
