Jackson State men's basketball coach Mo Williams jokes that because his birthday is Dec. 19, he never received presents as a kid due to the closeness of that day to Christmas.

Nevertheless, he says, as a little boy Christmas was his favorite holiday. Williams, now 41 and in his second season coaching the Tigers, said on Christmas Eve he loved staying up all night with his brothers Montrell and Michael and sister Maria.

“My favorite memory at Christmas was ripping the box just so I could see what I got," Williams said. "I always poked holes in (gifts). I would be like ‘OK, I got this’. So, I know what I have before I wake up on Christmas morning. So that is my favorite memory.”

As a kid, Williams also loved baseball; he began playing when he was 4 years old. His path in sports changed the December his parents, Isaiah and Griceldia Williams, gave him a basketball and a hoop.

“That was the best thing I ever had in my life," Williams said. "I remember playing on the goal with my basketball. I played in that goal in January, February, when it was cold outside. I would play with my gloves on. That is what introduced me to my love of basketball.”

Williams said that around the neighborhood, he and his friends always played basketball, but to have his own basketball hoop in his yard was life-changing. His passion was so great for basketball that he used to rush home from school and play in his yard.

That Christmas prompted him to play in the Boys & Girls Club and Medgar Evers youth leagues. He said he joined the team at 9 years old, and everything took off from there.

“Getting that basketball and hoop for Christmas on my eighth birthday turned my life around,” he said.

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Williams went on to star in basketball at Murrah High and Alabama and spent 13 seasons in the NBA.

The highlight to his playing career was when in his final season he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise's first NBA championship, a seven-game Finals victory in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors.

For many people, Christmas Day is a time for food, family and watching sports on TV. While in the NBA, Williams played several times on Christmas Day and loved it.

“Playing on Christmas was a blessing,” Williams said. “It was one of the best moments, you are prime time. You always look forward to playing on Christmas."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State basketball coach Mo Williams had life-changing Christmas