It’s been 3 years since the Oscar-winning movie ‘King Richard‘ was released. The world witnessed Venus and Serena Williams’ true equation with their dad Richard Williams, masterfully portrayed by Will Smith. While they looked extremely close in the film, Venus and Serena Williams’ stepsister Sabrina’s recent interview has added a new angle to this father-daugthers’ equation.
For the unversed, Richard Williams and his third wife Lakeisha Williams have been in the midst of a 7-year-long divorce. Moreover, amidst all the divorce drama, King Richard’s health condition has worsened considerably.
Now, as it seemingly looks like Serena Williams and Venus Williams aren’t by their dad’s side at this tough moment, stepsister Sabrina has revealed that the Tennis legends are most probably providing him a lot of support behind closed doors. Sabrina, aged 60, recently told the US Sun,
“Serena has just had her second child [Adira, August 2023], we’re assuming that they’re not there, but do we really know that for sure? Why would Venus and Serena not be there?”
She went on to add that while Richard may not have treated his daughters too well in the past, the Williams sisters will definitely not allow their father’s ‘King Richard’ image to dwindle.
“I know they(Serena and Venus) are going to treat their dad right. They will be protecting him, they don’t want his image of King Richard seen in a different light, they’re loving their dad 100%, they just don’t want to be associated with the drama.”
Without a doubt, at the moment, Richard Williams will need his entire family to stay strong by his side. This includes his lawyer son, Chavoita Lesane, who is now pulling his dad out of court owing to his frail condition.
King Richard and the drama around his divorce from Lakeisha Williams
After divorcing his first two wives – Betty Johnson and Oracene Price, Richard Williams found love in a store owner – Lakeisha Junita Graham (now Williams). They were married in 2010 and in 2017, they filed for divorce. After their separation, Lakeisha Williams allegedly forged Richard’s signature to illegally buy their $1.4 million Florida mansion.
Now, 7 years later, Lakeisha Williams hasn’t yet paid back the $600,000 debt for the mansion. This issue is the root of the problem that is being settled in court. For the longest time, Richard has wanted to officially get separated, but this ‘forged signature’ issue needs to be settled first.
On top of this, Richard Williams suffers from a neurological condition. He suffered three strokes and went into a coma before suffering other major health problems. At the moment, his condition is so fragile that judge James Martz closed the case officially without granting an official divorce.
It is an established fact that Richard Williams is not doing well healthwise. Therefore, Sabrina’s words about the Williams sisters supporting their dad while staying away from the limelight makes sense. Simply because he has in fact done a lot for his daughters and they would want their life and Tennis mentor to spend his last years in peace.
