His one-year sentence—the maximum for the misdemeanor offense—will follow the five-year prison term he’s serving in New Jersey for accidentally shooting and killing a limo driver.
“It seems excessive, but it’s a small price to pay if it helps to deter drunk driving,” Williams, 42, said in a Manhattan court. “I’ll be the poster child for that if it’s going to save lives.”
And just to recap the saga:
The former New Jersey Net was a top player with a six-year, $86 million contract before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. A first-round NBA draft pick in 1990, he played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Nets. He averaged 10 or more rebounds a game in his final four NBA seasons and was named to an All-Star team.
Two years after retiring, he killed chauffeur Costas Christofi with a 12-gauge shotgun while showing it to friends, having failed to check the weapon’s safety mechanism. Williams then wiped down the weapon and placed it in Christofi’s hands, stripped off his own clothes, handed them to a friend and jumped into his pool, according to testimony. Williams’ lawyers said his actions were driven by panic.
The shooting marked the start of a cascade of troubles for Williams, who was promptly suspended from his post-basketball job as an NBA analyst for NBC.
While the case surrounding the shooting lingered after a 2004 mistrial on a top count, his wife filed for divorce last year, and police used a stun gun on him in a New York hotel after a female friend said he was acting suicidal.
He was charged with assault in May 2009 after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped.
In November, Williams’ father, E.J., with whom he owned a construction business, died in South Carolina.
The SUV wreck happened the week before Williams pleaded guilty in New Jersey to aggravated assault in Christofi’s death. He began serving his prison term in February and is making progress in counseling, alcohol-abuse, problem-solving and leadership programs, said his lawyer, Oscar Holt III.
“His life spiraled downward, but it’s now back on the rise,” Holt said. He said Williams was disappointed in the sentence but relieved to put the case behind him.
