The Oridgenatorspresented by Ruffles is a six-part IGTV series that spotlights pioneering Black creators from the intersecting worlds of basketball, sneakers, social media, music, and entrepreneurship. Each episode profiles one unique individual who defied societal norms in pursuit of their dreams to inspire and uplift.
Known on the blacktop as Bone Collector, Larry Williams has broken enough of his opponents’ ankles on the court to earn his props as a well-respected streetball player and athlete. However, the Rucker Park legend says his biggest influence wasn’t other ballplayers, but his father, who taught him key life lessons.
During his episode of The Oridgenators, Williams speaks about the blueprint his father laid out and how that helped him rise above human’s natural instinct to take.
“[My father] made me understand that if you build yourself up to a strong enough point, then the completion is extra. If you have someone or something that completes you, that’s just extra ammo for something you’ve already been doing. Because he built that mindset in me at a young age, my handles, my skill set, my mind, it grew on that level,” Williams says.
Another jewel Williams credits to his father is the belief he didn't have to become great because he already was. “Don’t let anyone sway you and make you think you have to grow up and be somebody,” he says. “You were born somebody and when you put the motivation in, you will become who you want to be.”
Those important life lessons have helped create a foundation for Williams that he passes on to and anyone in his circle. “Without knowing who you are you can’t deal with the world,” he says. “I always tell my students, athletes, and peers, there’s always a mold for everything and if that mold isn’t stable then everything inside that will fall apart. That mold is who you are.”
