Former NBA star Jayson Williams talks about life after serving jail time for the killing of a limo driver. Hear the emotional story inside…
Former NBA player Jayson Williams, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, stopped by the “Wendy Williams Show” today to talk about rebuilding his life after prison. And these days, he's totally winning with his second chance at life.
The former power forward served 27 months in prison after he accidentally shot a limo driver in his home. He said he had some friends over and was showing off his his collection of shotguns he had locked away in his bedroom. As he was handing out the shotguns, one of the guns still had bullet in it and it went off, fatally shooting 55-year-old limousine driver Costas Christofi.
Rather than call the police and tell them about the accident, Jayson and his friends tried to cover up the shooting. He allegedly jumped in his pool to wash away the gun residue on his hands. After an investigation, authorities eventually charged Jayson with obstruction of justice and he was sentenced to prison. He didn’t go to jail for the shooting itself, he did time for the cover up.
The father-of-two emotionally shared:
“I take accountability for that. If you go to movies, you see a gun go off, you see something all the time that knocks you to your feet. I accidentally took somebody’s life and for the rest of [my] life [I] have to live with that.”
So sad.
While he was going through his legal situation, his lawyer wife at the time, Tanya Young (who appeared on “Basketball Wives: L.A.”), filed for divorce. They’re currently waiting for the final stamp from a judge to end their marriage. They share two teenaged daughters.
He said he also realized he had far too many Yes Men around him. Jayson revealed that at one point, he realized he had 90 people on payroll and didn't even know who most of them were.
As for his love life, he said he’s in a relationship with a woman he has loved for a long time. She's currently going through a divorce. Bottom line, he’s happy.
Jayson, who previously struggled with alcoholism, also recently opened a rehab facility and Wendy gifted him with a donation. Nice!
Photo: Screenshot
