A behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of ESPN star Jay Williams — from meals with NBA powerhouse agents to battles with Stephen A. Smith

• Jay Williams has become one of ESPN’s strongest, most dignified voices during an unprecedented moment for sports.
• Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down, Williams gave an Insider reporter and photographer behind-the-scenes access to a day in his life.
• From early-morning dog walks and on-air battles with Stephen A. Smith to meals with NBA powerhouse agents and meetings with CEOS, check out what a day in Williams’ life was like.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

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Back in early March, Jay Williams met Insider’s reporter and photographer at 5:30 a.m. near his home in Brooklyn.

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He started his day by walking his dog, Denzel Washington, well before the sun rose over New York City.

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Before he left for work, Williams brought Denzel Washington back to his apartment and said goodbye to his wife, Nikki Bonacorsi, and his 2-year-old daughter, Amelia.

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He ordered a car and headed across the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan — and he was remarkably chipper for so early in the morning.

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And a few minutes later, we pulled up on ESPN’s studio in the South Street Seaport, and Williams led us into the building at Pier 17.

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As we walked into ESPN’s office space, he exchanged friendly hellos with the security guard on duty.

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After walking through the double glass doors, we found ourselves in the center of the office’s main space. Williams walked past the desks of many of ESPN’s on-screen personalities before draping his coat over his desk chair.

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Then he walked into a glass-paned conference room where the “Get Up!” morning meeting was already underway.

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He sat at the head of the table between former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky and former New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.

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The table was full of ESPN’s leading voices, including a still-sleepy Mike Greenberg.

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Williams was still tired, too.

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Greenberg facilitated a round-table discussion with Williams, Orlovsky, Tannenbaum, “Get Up!” co-anchor Laura Rutledge, NBA veteran Kendrick Perkins, and others.

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They went over the day’s talking points…

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… while Williams took diligent notes.

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As they began debating, Greeny reminded everyone to “save it for the show.”

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But Williams still got some good points in.

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Williams and Perkins stayed behind after the meeting adjourned for a one-on-one discussion.

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Once they finished, Williams headed to his desk to further prepare for the show.

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He did some research online.

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And took some time to chat more with his colleagues.

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Coffee was a must.

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And then everyone headed to set.

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Everyone got situated around the desk to kick off the show.

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And the crew checked all of the cameras.

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And soon, they were live.

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Williams joined Greeny for every segment about the NBA.

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And the duo later stepped away from the desk for a trivia segment.

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When he wasn’t in front of the cameras, he and Perkins stepped aside to get makeup touch-ups and take a breather.

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They also prepared for upcoming segments.

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So that they were ready to go at it once they were on air.

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“Zion’s a new breed,” Williams told Insider. “Everybody has the things that they focus on, and it’s easy to become very myopic. But every morning, I’m aware of how people pitch him.”

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Towards the end of the hour, the one and only Stephen A. Smith joined Williams, Perkins, and Greeny behind the desk.

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“I like challenging Stephen A. because I don’t feel like a lot of people challenge him, and I do feel extremely confident in my knowledge,” Williams said.

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Before Williams wrapped “Get Up!,” the “First Take” producers tapped Williams for a segment during the 10 o’clock hour.

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So after a brief break, he joined Smith, Max Kellerman, and Molly Qerim in the facility’s other studio.

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No one told him in advance what topic he’d be debating with Stephen A. and Max.

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But it wasn’t too surprising when it turned out to be a conversation about Kevin Durant and his longtime business partner, Rich Kleiman.

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Williams has a close personal and professional relationship with Durant and Kleiman thanks to his involvement with Thirty Five Ventures and “The Boardroom.”

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In fact, once Williams was done on set, he set off for a meeting with Kleiman across town.

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They met at Soho House New York, a private members’ club with locations across the world.

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Though photography was not permitted inside the space, we sat in on their meeting.

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Kleiman and Williams discussed “The Boardroom,” preparing for this year’s MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and the looming pandemic over breakfast.

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An hour later, they parted ways, and Williams was off to his next meeting with yet another power-player in the sports world.

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It was midday when we arrived at Monarch Business and Wealth Management, a family office providing business direction and services to celebrities and affluent individuals.

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Williams had recently signed on with the company as a client and had agreed to meet with Monarch’s leadership about a potential sponsorship opportunity.

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He caught up on emails and phone calls before the meeting.

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Monarch CEO Barry Klarberg — who is also an owner of both the New York Yankees and Major League Soccer’s New York City FC — joined us.

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“It’s rare you run into somebody like this with this type of talent, with the history that he went through,” Klarberg said of Williams. “He’s different. He’s smart. He gets it.”

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We then followed the duo to a networking meeting at the Barbarian headquarters, where we met Barbarian CEO Steven Moy and Yext Senior Director of Strategic Alliances Nikki Bonacorsi.

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Bonacorsi — who is married to Williams — said she “saw so much opportunity” in Williams from the moment she met her husband.

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“She’s my why,” Williams said of his wife.

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Once he wrapped up his business meetings for the day, Williams brought us to The Cabin NYC, his not-so-secret hideaway in Alphabet City.

The Cabin NYC

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He owns and operates the rustic bar-restaurant in the East Village with two of his best friends.

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A long, fully-stocked bar lines the right side of the restaurant.

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Bright blue upholstered seating paired with tables made from trees they cut down themselves sit flush against the opposite wall.

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There’s a framed painting of Tupac Shakur as a fox…

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… and another of The Notorious B.I.G. as a grizzly bear hanging on the walls.

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And there were seasonal decorations everywhere.

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Williams, Baluyot, and Aponte reminisced about their glory days in New Jersey while telling me about the origins of The Cabin.

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But as afternoon turned to evening, we said our goodbyes so Williams could head back to Brooklyn to bathe his daughter and put her to sleep.

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Now check out why Jay Williams is uniquely prepared to host his new ESPN show — “my whole life has led me to this moment”:

Jay Williams has become one of ESPN’s strongest, most dignified voices during an unprecedented moment for sports: ‘My whole life has led me to this moment’