Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer passed along news that Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had spread, earlier this week.
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The news got a little bit worse on Friday, as it was learned that John “Hot Rod” Williams had joined the ranks of Moses Malone, Jerome Kersey, and Darryl Dawkins among the former players we said goodbye to this year. He spent his first nine National Basketball Association seasons with Cleveland, then closed his career with shorter stints in Phoenix and Dallas, last playing in 1999. Above, a visualization of his career points, rebounds and assists.
Williams played in 887 National Basketball Association games, averaging 11 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Hot Rod Williams #18 of the Cleveland Cavaliers rises for a dunk against Sherman Douglas #20 of the Boston Celtics during a game played circa 1994 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and others, Williams starred on Cavs teams that won 50-plus games three times. Williams was the 21st pick of the second round in the 1985 NBA Draft, selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds as a starter in his rookie year, but he had his best season in 1989-90 when he came off the bench for much of the season.
“For people that really understand the story of what happened at Tulane, he was taken advantage of by people who were far more sophisticated, but there was a reason he was proven innocent and it’s because he was”, Bartelstein said.
John “Hot Rod” Williams has lost his battle cancer. His teammates know that. “He was a very simple guy who loved the game”.
In college, Williams also become involved in a point shaving scandal while at Tulane University and was charged with five offenses related to the scandal.
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“Off the court”, the Suns added in their statement, “he was a humble and gracious man, willing to share his time and fun-loving nature with anyone”.
