He was forced to retire in 2000 due to a leg injury. At the time of his retirement he was just one year into a six-year $86 million contract with the Nets. He ended up receiving substantially all of that contract and the Nets covered their share with an insurance policy. Outside of that contract Jayson earned an additional $35 million from previous NBA contracts. Jayson Williams was born in Ritter, South Carolina in February 1968. He was drafted #21 by the Phoenix Suns in the 1990 NBA Draft. His draft rights were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he served as a bench player for two seasons. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1992. Williams did not become a starter for the Nets until the 1996-97 season. In the 97-98 season he led the league in offensive rebounds and finished in the top five for total rebounds, rebounds per game, and offensive rating. He was selected to the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, his only appearance. In 1999 he broke his leg in a collision with Stephon Marbury. He had surgery that ended his career and announced his retirement in 2000.
Legal Problems and Conviction: In January 2010 Williams pled guilty to aggravated assault related to the death of limousine driver Gus Christofi. Williams accidentally shot Christofi on February 14, 2002 with a shotgun in a bizarre incident at his mansion. He was eventually sentenced to 5 years in prison. He has had numerous other incidents including being stunned with a taser by the NYPD for being violent and suicidal, punching a man at a bar, and driving while intoxicated. He owned the New Jersey Storm which later became the Anaheim storm in the National Lacrosse League until the team became defunct. His wife Tanya Young was featured on the VH1 reality show Basketball Wives: LA. Jayson sold the New Jersey mansion where Christofi was killed for $8 million back in 2005. The property included a 27,000 square-foot main house and 65 acres of land.
