Former Knicks and Nets guard Ray Williams, whose life was turned upside-down
after his 10-year playing career by bankruptcy and homelessness, died Friday
at 58.
Williams, a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., had been battling colon cancer at
Manhattan’s Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Drafted 10th overall out of Minnesota in 1977 by the New York Knicks,
Williams played 10 seasons that included two stints with the Knicks. He
signed with the Nets as a free agent in 1981 and then was traded to the
Kansas City Kings. Williams, who played two seasons with current New York
coach Mike Woodson, was traded back to the Knicks in 1983. He then bounced
around the league to Boston, Atlanta and San Antonio before being traded to
the Nets where he finished his career after the 1986-87 season.
“I was just with him last week at the cancer hospital,” Woodson told the
New York Post earlier this month. “Awesome. Physical. Tough. Knew how to
play.
“He was a prototype combo guard because he could play the one, could play
two and could guard the three because he was so physical. To see him in the
hospital like that, you don’t wish that on anyone.
“We talked about fond memories. We have a lot of fond memories. A year here.
A few years in Kansas city. We laughed about a lot of things. It was kind of
nice.”
The 6-foot-3 Williams had career averages of 15.5 points a game and 5.8
assists a game. From 1979-82, he produced three consecutive seasons — the
first two with the Knicks and the Nets — of averaging at least 19.7 ppg and
5.5 assists. His best season was his third with the Knicks in 1979-80 when he
averaged 20.9 ppg and 6.2 apg.
Williams’ life took a dramatic swing once he retired. Financial issues
plunged him into bankruptcy and homelessness, ultimately leading to his wife
and children leaving him. He reportedly bounced around odd jobs in Florida
and was ultimately able to get back on his feet with the help of former
Celtics teammates Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, who helped him financially,
according to a January article written by Ben Hohler in The Boston Globe.
Doctors reportedly discovered the tumor in Williams’ colon after he was
given a free colon-cancer screening offered through the NBA Retired Players
Association. According to the Post, Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly paid
for Williams to be flown from Florida to be treated at Sloan-Kettering.
美国时间周五，前尼克和篮网后卫雷-威廉姆斯(RayWilliams)因为癌症在纽约曼哈顿的
一家癌症治疗中心去世，享年58岁。
威廉姆斯在1977年首轮第10顺位被尼克选中，在NBA曾效力于尼克（1977-81、1983-84）
、篮网（1981-82、1986-87）、国王（1982 -83）、塞尔提克（1985）、老鹰（1985）
和马刺（1986）。职业生涯共出场655场，场均得15.5分，5.8助攻。
退役之后，由于遭受财政问题，威廉姆斯申请了破产并失去了房子，他的妻子和孩子也
离开了他。威廉姆斯曾一度在佛罗里达打工，不过最终他在塞尔提克的队友拉里-伯德
和凯文-麦克海尔向他伸出了援手。之前有报导称，在由NBA退役球员协会组织的一次
免费体检中，威廉姆斯的结肠被检测出有肿瘤。据纽约邮报报导，尼克老板詹姆斯-杜
兰支付了威廉姆斯在曼哈顿治疗的全部费用。
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/03/22/former-knick-ray-williams-dies-at-58/
http://bbs.hupu.com/5301273.html
R.I.P.