Former NBA point guard Michael Carter-Williams sure knows how to start a career off on the right note.

The 2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year made headlines last month when it was announced that he would fight in his first amateur boxing match.

Carter-Williams’ debut bout took place on Thursday as part of the “Broad Street Brawl” charity event held at the Leman Ballroom in Manhattan, N.Y.

Standing at 6’5″ with a 6’7″ wingspan, it was clear in videos from the match that Carter-Williams had a huge height and reach advantage over his opponent.

MCW also appeared much bulkier than the 190 pounds he was listed as weighing during his final playing season with the Orlando Magic in 2022-23.

Given his physical advantages, it’s no surprise that Carter-Williams won his first fight via unanimous decision.

Carter-Williams famously had one of the most memorable NBA debuts in history. During the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2013-14 season opener, a rookie MCW dropped 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, and 9 steals in an upset win over the LeBron James-era Miami Heat.

The Syracuse product averaged 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists across 9 seasons in the NBA.

While Carter-Williams’ first boxing victory didn’t did not have nearly as much fanfare compared to his decade-old NBA debut, a win is still a win.

Joe Flacco’s comment on not wanting to be dubbed a “mentor” to the young Cleveland Browns quarterbacks is not going over well with some, including one of his former teammates.

During OTAs this week, Flacco was measured when asked about mentoring rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

While he didn’t dismiss the idea outright, he made it clear that he’s still a competitor and not ready to be sidelined holding a clipboard.

“If I say, ‘I don’t want to be a mentor,’ I look bad.

If I say, ‘I do want to be a mentor,’ I look like an idiot that doesn’t care about being good and playing football,” Flacco told reporters. “I tend to try to be honest. And I’ve said, ‘I’m not a mentor; I play football.’

“And in a quarterback room… there have been a ton of times where there have been learning experiences, and I have a lot of experience. I can talk on things. And, hopefully, they listen. But it’s not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me.

Hopefully, you have a really good relationship with the guys that are in the room. And you naturally want to do that.”

Joe Flacco’s Response Called ‘Ridiculous’

Flacco’s former Baltimore Ravens teammate Chris Canty didn’t hold back when reacting to Flacco’s comments. Speaking Friday on ESPN’s “Unsportsmanlike,” Canty made it clear he wasn’t a fan of the veteran quarterback’s stance.

“Mentoring a young player is only going to make that player better, which makes the team better,” Canty said. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link.

The whole point of the exercise is that everybody makes everyone better. That’s why you practice.

You’re making each other better. It’s what you’re supposed to do. You do that with the reps on the practice field, but you also do that by sharing points and notes in the film room.

“It’s a ridiculous answer from Joe Flacco. There’s no guarantee Joe Flacco is going to be healthy for 17 games, especially at 40 years old.”

Flacco is on the backend of his career but is looking to log a few more starts with the Browns. It’s early but the former Super Bowl MVP has drawn praise for his performance in OTAs so far.

“Flacco throws the ball in a practice setting better than any of them,” Zac Jackson of The Athletic said in his analysis of the QB competition so far. “Add his overall experience, and he’s the favorite to win the job, unless Stefanski and others in the organization just favor Pickett — or unless Pickett outplays Flacco in the coming months.”

Browns Rookie Shedeur Sanders Fan of Working With Joe Flacco

Despite his comments on being a mentor, Flacco hasn’t been a curmudgeon in the quarterback room.

In fact, Sanders has liked working with Flacco and is frankly stunned they’re on the same team.

“We are all different characters. It’s funny to go in there and see Joe every day. At practice, I’m like, ‘wow, I’m really with Joe Flacco right now. We’re on the same team.’ That’s cool,” Sanders said.

Whether he wants to be a mentor or not, Flacco is a valuable asset for the rookies to lean on. And if he doesn’t end up winning the starting job, Flacco could find himself on the move again, with the Browns unlikely to keep four quarterbacks on the roster.

J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where they have been covering the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. More about J.R. DeGroote