The 18-year-old Memphis Tigers star will soon trade the basketball court for a courtroom. Mikey Williams, the five-star recruit in the Tigers’ upcoming University of Memphis first-year class, was arrested on Thursday. The Memphis college basketball signee was booked into the San Diego Central Jail under suspicion of five felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
Although his booking photo has not been shared, Lt. Matt Carpenter of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed they had arrested a Michael Anthony Williams matching the player’s description, NBC San Diego reported.
Mikey Williams was booked on five counts of assault with a deadly weapon using a firearm. In California, each charge carries a minimum sentence of six months in county jail, if convicted, per @ABC24Memphis pic.twitter.com/EUKaA5GWfk
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 14, 2023
The San Ysidro basketball player made the bail of $50,000 just after midnight on Friday morning. How authorities learned of the crime or how the arrest occurred is still unknown.
“We are aware of the situation and are gathering more information,” the University of Memphis’ statement to CBS 8 read.
Statement from the University of Memphis on reports linking Mikey Williams to felony gun charges: “We are aware of the situation and are gathering more information.” https://t.co/HU805uEYBf
— Jason Munz (@munzly) April 14, 2023
Fans shared their disappointment and shock on Twitter:
Mikey Williams arrested on gun charges. These kids just wanna throw it all away
— Lex Diamond (@BigGameJimmy) April 14, 2023
This is not good.
5-star Memphis recruit Mikey Williams, the top player in the Tigers upcoming freshman class, has reportedly been arrested on five felony gun charges in the San Diego area.
His IG account, with millions of followers, has been deactivated.
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) April 14, 2023
I hope Mikey Williams got a good lawyer cause five gun charges plus assault with a deadly weapon in the state of California is actually insane
— Jazzy (@jazzy__simone) April 14, 2023
Williams was the No. 22 overall player when the San Diego native committed to playing for the University of Memphis’ college basketball team next season. The 2023 class prospect is currently ranked No. 26 nationally in his class, per the 247Sports Composite.
He signed a National Letter of Intent for coach Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis in November. The five-star rated guard recently finished his final season at San Diego San Ysidro High School.
Beyond his on-court talents, the crown jewel of the recruiting class had reached near-celebrity status on social media, with 3.8 million Instagram followers (although his account was deactivated after his arrest) and 321 million views on TikTok.
But California felony weapons charges are no joke. Per California law, the five total charges would carry a minimum of 2.5 years in jail if the incoming freshman is convicted. It seems that despite efforts to legitimize himself as a successful prospective player, his future may be out of his hands.
His first court appearance is set for April 20.
