New Orleans is a special place for Sixers lead assistant coach Monty Williams

NEW ORLEANS -- Monty Williams, the 76ers’ lead assistant coach, couldn’t walk 10 feet at Smoothie King Arena without someone stopping him to say hello or welcome him back before the game against the Pelicans.

Williams has pleasant memories of the Big Easy from his time here as the Pelicans coach. From June 2010 to May 2015, Williams compiled a 173-221 regular-season record. He led the mostly rebuilding Pelicans to two postseason appearances, suffering first-round exits both times.

“No one likes to get fired or wants to get fired,” he said. "But you understand when you are on that side of it, that could happen. It’s one of those things, if you don’t win a championship, at some point you are going to get fired.

“I had five years here, which was a really long run for a first-time head coach. So many things to be thankful for."

But this city means more to him than providing a head-coaching opportunity. Being here gave him the opportunity to be the assistant head coach for the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

His youngest child, Micah, was born here. He, his late wife, Ingrid, and the rest of the Williamses were heavily involved in the community.

“It’s a city that’s special to me,” Williams said. “To this day, I still get letters and emails from people from this city. That part is pretty cool to be on this side of it.”

Williams is proud of his late wife Ingrid’s work with shelters and young women.

“I didn’t really do anything,” he said. “I just watched her and my kids do a ton in this city that was really under the radar. And then being a part of an organization that was rebuilding.”

At the time, Williams didn’t really understand how that would help him. However, he said that getting fired gave him a chance to evaluate things and grow as a coach.