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58-year-old NBA player, Ray Williams, died yesterday, March 22, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City after suffering from colon cancer. Williams was known for his time as a New York Knick captain, but he was also on the New Jersey Nets, Kansas City Kings, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs throughout his 10 years in the NBA. In 2010, it was revealed that the former basketball star was unemployed and homeless until he got some help from NBA friends including Larry Bird.
Current New York Knicks coach and former teammate of Williams, Mike Woodson, offered his condolences to Ray's family. Before the Knicks' victory over the Toronto Raptors last night, Woodson said:
"It's a major loss. He's a part of our Knicks family. Our organization has been fantastic through this. I tip my hat to the Knicks and the fact they stood in Ray's corner. He'll be missed. Ain't no doubt about that. He was well liked in the community."
Ray Williams was drafted out of the University of Minnesota in 1977 to the Knicks. From there he met friend and teammate Michael Ray Richardson who is currently mourning the death of Williams. Richardson said, "I'm real sad. He and I were like brothers. He was a tough defender, he could do it all. A big guy in the locker room. We all did think that (he'd be a superstar). Things happen. He was traded. I was traded."
Williams moved from team to team and became part of the Boston Celtics in 1985. Luckily when he became bankrupt and homeless, his former Boston teammates Larry Bird and Kevin McHale helped him out of poverty. Afterwards, Williams returned to his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York, after the mayor offered him a job in the town's recreational department. Sadly, in 2011, after a free colon screening provided by the NBA Retired Players Association, it was uncovered that he had colon cancer.
Here is a profile video of the late "Sugar" Ray Williams.
