John "Hot Rod" Williams (August 9, 1962 – December 11, 2015) was an American professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from1986 to1999.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1962-08-09)August 9, 1962 Sorrento, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 2015(2015-12-11) (aged 53) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Amant (St. Amant, Louisiana) |
| College | Tulane (1981–1985) |
| NBA draft | 1985: 2nd round, 45th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Playing career | 1985–1999 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 18 |
| Career history | |
| 1985 | Rhode Island Gulls |
| 1986 | Staten Island Stallions |
| 1986–1995 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1995–1998 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1999 | Dallas Mavericks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 9,784 (11.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,998 (6.8 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,456 (1.6 bpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Early life
editWilliams was born inSorrento, Louisiana, a small town nearBaton Rouge. He got the nickname "Hot Rod" as a baby due to his habit of making engine-like noises as he scooted backwards across the floor.
College basketball
editA 6'11"power forward/center, he played collegiately atTulane University, leaving as that school's second all-time leading scorer. His career at Tulane was somewhat checkered, however. According to a Tulane booster club president, Williams was nearly kicked off the team in his sophomore year "for missing practices and for being unreliable". Additionally, he was a marginal student at best. He barely maintained a C average in high school, and had barely passed theSAT. At Tulane, his grade point average hovered in the C-D range despite a schedule laden with "decidedly non-academic" courses such as driver's education and weight training.[1]
Arrest
editOn March 27, 1985, Williams was arrested for suspicion ofpoint shaving. According to the indictment, Williams had taken at least $8,550 from Gary Kranz for influencing point spreads in games againstSouthern Miss,Memphis State andVirginia Tech. Williams was charged with sports bribery and conspiracy;[2] his first trial ended with a mistrial, but during his second trial a jury found him not guilty of all five counts.[3] Due in part to the scandal, Tulane shuttered its men's basketball program from 1985 to 1989.
NBA career
editWilliams was selected by theCleveland Cavaliers in the1985 NBA draft with the 21st pick of the second round (45th overall). However, due to the trial, Williams spent the1985–86 season playing for theUnited States Basketball League. Able to play for the Cavaliers the next year, Williams was named to the NBA all-rookie team for the1986–87 season, along with teammatesRon Harper andBrad Daugherty. Perhaps Williams' finest season occurred in 1989, when he averaged 16.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.04 blocked shots per game while mostly serving as the team'ssixth man. Following the 1989–90 season, he re-signed with the Cavaliers to a 7-year, $26.5 million contract, making him one of the five highest paid players in the NBA in the early 1990s. At the time, this was an unprecedented salary for a sixth man like Williams.[4] Prior to March 22, 2009, he ranked as the Cavaliers' all-time leader in blocked shots (1,200) (surpassed byŽydrūnas Ilgauskas).[5] Williams spent nine seasons with the Cavaliers before being traded to thePhoenix Suns forDan Majerle during the 1995 offseason. He finished out his NBA career with theDallas Mavericks.
Personal life and death
editWilliams had five children; John Williams Jr., John Francis Williams, Johnna Williams, John Paul Williams, and Sydney Gibbs.[citation needed] His nephew,Toe Nash, played professional baseball.[6]
Williams was diagnosed withcolon cancer in April 2014, and died on December 11, 2015, atOur Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, at age 53.[7][8][9]
See also
edit
- List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
- John "Hot Plate" Williams – also played college basketball inLouisiana in the mid-1980s atLSU and later in the NBA
References
edit- ^Looney, Douglas S. (April 22, 1985)."All I Want Is to Be Happy".
- ^Recent scandals: BC, Tulane and Northwestern
- ^SPORTS PEOPLE; No Second Thoughts,The New York Times, June 18, 1986, Accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^McCallum, Jack (September 17, 1990)."Pass Me The Bread".Sports Illustrated. RetrievedAugust 27, 2016.
- ^Nets Can’t Stop Cavaliers’ Winning Streak
- ^Gammons, Peter (January 11, 2001)."Devil Rays find The Natural in the cane fields".ESPN.com. RetrievedMay 16, 2012.
- ^Windhorst, Brian (December 11, 2015)."John 'Hot Rod' Williams dies at 53".ESPN.com.ESPN. RetrievedDecember 11, 2015.
- ^Pluto, Terry (December 11, 2015)."Former Cleveland Cavalier John 'Hot Rod' Williams dies at 53".Cleveland.com.Advance Publications. RetrievedDecember 11, 2015.
- ^Lewis, Ted (December 19, 2015)."John 'Hot Rod' Williams, former Tulane, NBA player, dies of cancer at age 53".The Advocate. Baton Rouge. RetrievedAugust 25, 2018.