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I’ve learned to never underestimate the power of sports, and the acts of kindness that can come from such a simple game of basketball. In this case, it’s about fans rallying around a player they had probably never heard of before taking the court on Wednesday night in Knoxville. But one thing is for certain, Tennessee fans will remember Montana’s Money Williams. 

As the Vols took the court against Montana, there was something special that was about to occur, and it wasn’t just during the basketball game. 

Just over one year ago, on November 29th 2023, Montana’s Money Williams lost his father while he was playing in a basketball game on a trip to Nevada. Williams received the news that would force him to make a decision that would affect his mom, and siblings. Sticking to the plan that got him into college to play basketball, he continued on his course, hoping to make the most out of a tragic situation. 

Then, just a year later, Money Williams would receive news that no kid should ever have to hear. Not only had he lost his father, but now his mother had passed away in her sleep on October 12th, forcing Williams to step away from the basketball team, as his world had once again come to a screeching halt. 

Montana guard Money Williams lost both his parents in just a year, now raising three younger siblings with his sister Via: Montana Basketball

Montana guard Money Williams lost both his parents in just a year, now raising three younger siblings with his sister Via: Montana Basketball

In the span of one year, Money had lost both his parents, which left him and his sister Mo’Ney to make some hard decisions about their future. The brother and sister were now responsible for their three younger siblings, a task that they decided to face head-on. 

“With the passing of both our parents, my older sister Mo’Ney and I have become responsible for our three younger siblings, Joanna, Jermaine, and Jeremiah Benson,” the fundraising description noted. “The weight of this responsibility, coupled with our grief, is immense.”

To help out Money Williams and his sister, you can donate to the GoFundMe HERE. 

Tennessee Fans Rise To The Occasion To Help Money Williams’ Family

You wouldn’t have noticed any type of problems on Wednesday night, as he dropped 30 points on Tennessee in the loss. In his previous three games, Williams had scored just 22 points, so what he did against the No. 11 ranked Tennessee defense on Wednesday night was obviously special. 

But, it was something that transpired just after the game ended that showed the true spirit of Tennessee, and College basketball fans from all over. At 10:21 p.m. ET, Knoxville Sentinel writer Mike Wilson, who covers the Vols, tweeted out a GoFundMe link that Money Williams had created one month ago. 

That’s all Tennessee fans needed for them to jump at the opportunity to help, just as other fanbases have done in recent weeks. 

And as we’ve seen in the past with Tennessee fans, they rose to the occasion, just as they did for Zakai Zeigler when his family’s house burned down in 2022, rasing over $360,000 for his family to relocate to Knoxville. 

The goal Money Williams’ GoFundMe was $75,000 when it was created, but that would quickly change. Due to the outpouring of support, the goal was raised, after it had hit $97,560 as of midnight on Friday morning. 

It currently sits at $100,800 as of Friday morning. 

There were messages from Montana, Oregon, Northwest Indiana and Tennessee fans all across the page. 

I counted the amount of donations that poured in since Mike Wilson had tweeted out the link, and there were over 500 people who had contributed to the fundraiser. 

Sometimes it takes acts of kindness like this to remind us all that there are certainly more important things in life. 

But, on a basketball court in Tennessee on Wednesday night, Money Williams showed us what real determination looks like, and the fans in Knoxville joined Montana folks in helping out a young man whose life has drastically changed in just one-year span.