John "Hot Rod" Williams

For other people named John Williams, see John Williams (disambiguation).
John Williams
Personal information
Born (1962-08-09)August 9, 1962
Sorrento, Louisiana
Died December 11, 2015(2015-12-11) (aged 53)
near Sorrento, Louisiana
Nationality American
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 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career 1985–1999
Position Power forward / Center
Number 18
Career history
1985 Rhode Island Gulls (USBL)
1986 Staten Island Stallions (USBL)
19861995 Cleveland Cavaliers
19951998 Phoenix Suns
1999 Dallas Mavericks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 9,784 (11.0 ppg)
Rebounds 5,998 (6.8 rpg)
Blocks 1,456 (1.6 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

John "Hot Rod" Williams (August 9, 1962 – December 11, 2015) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1986 to 1999.

Early life

Williams was born in Sorrento, Louisiana, a small town near Baton 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

A 6'11" power forward/center, he played collegiately at Tulane University, leaving as that school's second all-time leading scorer. 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 the SAT. 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

On March 27, 1985, Williams was arrested for suspicion of point shaving. According to the indictment, Williams had taken at least $8,550 from Gary Kranz for influencing point spreads in games against Southern Miss, Memphis State and Virginia 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]

NBA career

Cleveland Cavaliers

Williams was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1985 NBA draft with the 21st pick of the second round (45th overall). However, due to the trial, Williams spent the 1985–86 season playing for the United States Basketball League. Able to play for the Cavs the next year, Williams was named to the NBA all-rookie team for the 1986-87 season, along with teammates Ron Harper and Brad 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's sixth man. Prior March 22, 2009, he ranked as the Cavaliers' all-time leader in blocked shots (1,200) (surpassed by Žydrūnas Ilgauskas).[4]

Phoenix Suns

Williams spent nine seasons with the Cavs before being traded to the Phoenix Suns for Dan Majerle.

Dallas Mavericks

He finished out his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks.

Personal

Williams' nephew, Toe Nash, played professional baseball.[5] He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

John "Hot Rod" Williams children; John B Williams Jr, John Francis Williams, Johnna Annie B Williams, John Paul Williams and Sydney Gibbs.

Death

Williams was diagnosed with colon cancer in April 2013. He died from complications of colon cancer at a hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 11, 2015.[6][7] Williams was 53.

See also

References

  1. Looney, Douglas S. (1985-04-22). "All I Want Is to Be Happy".
  2. Recent scandals: BC, Tulane and Northwestern
  3. SPORTS PEOPLE; No Second Thoughts, The New York Times, June 18, 1986, Accessed January 14, 2009.
  4. Nets Can’t Stop Cavaliers’ Winning Streak
  5. Gammons, Peter (January 11, 2001). "Devil Rays find The Natural in the cane fields". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  6. Windhorst, Brian (December 11, 2015). "John 'Hot Rod' Williams dies at 53". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  7. Pluto, Terry (December 11, 2015). "Former Cleveland Cavalier John 'Hot Rod' Williams dies at 53". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved December 11, 2015.

External links

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