Jay Williams says he attempted suicide after motorcycle crash that took his career
Kurt Helin Feb 9, 2013, 9:41 PM EST
23 Comments
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It was one of the NBA’s most discussed tragedies — No. 2 pick of the Chicago Bulls Jay Williams, a college legend and a guy who after one season looked like a rookie with potential at the point, crashed his motorcycle, destroyed his leg and never played again.
Nearly a decade removed from the accident, Williams reflected on it and his life afterward in a powerful piece of writing in the New York Times by Greg Bishop.
To go from national champion at Duke and future face of the Chicago Bulls to a guy who might never walk again, to a guy who had the game he was driven to play taken away from him — and with nobody to blame but himself — would be hard for anyone to live with. And Williams was honest about not wanting to live at some points.
At his lowest point, Williams did more than consider suicide. “I remember lying in my bed,” he said. “And I’m just tired of being here. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I was so afraid to face people. And I didn’t really know who I was. And I didn’t really want anybody to see me. And I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I didn’t want to talk about it.”
Williams glanced at his mother, Althea Williams, as he recounted the story. He continued: “I mean, to the point where I sat there, and I had this pair of scissors in my hand. I just kept going on my wrist. I wasn’t trying to go sideways. I was going vertical. I didn’t want to be here. At all.”
It was his mother that stopped him and it was her that made sure he didn’t go there again. She is still a crucial and close part of his life.
Go read the entire story, a few paragraphs can’t do it justice. As he says, he’s moved on and he doesn’t want pity. Williams got all the way back to the D-League but realized it was not going to go beyond that, his body wouldn’t let it. An adjustment from that would not be easy for anyone.
He works for ESPN as a college analyst and he lives a good life. One different than he imagined, but a good one. As a fan of the game it’s hard not to think about what might have been for him. But it’s hard not to be happy for him that he has found his peace with everything.
Re: Jay Williams said he attempted suicide after the motorcycle crash that ended his care
Quite an interesting read. I gave his rookie statistics a look and I always thought they were better than they really were. Did he finish the year strong or something? 9.5ppg on 40% shooting seems mediocre but I have good memories of his NBA season. Maybe I'm just off.
Either way, I didn't know the accident occurred in the manner in which it did. I also didn't know the full extent of his injuries:
Quote:
The leg resembled a map of Williams’s lost years: remnants of 10-plus operations; marks from the 100 staples; a scar that ran from pelvis to ankle; smaller divots from the numerous knee scopes. Williams sustained a total knee dislocation in the accident. He tore every ligament. He dislocated his pelvis. He ripped through a nerve in his left foot that took a year to regenerate, the pain comparable to that of childbirth, so severe it would wake Williams in the middle of the night. He severed an artery. He tore the hamstring from the bone.
As he lay in the hospital, his leg atrophied. He lost muscle, then tone, until the leg withered away and looked to Williams like a pencil, or a toothpick. Doctors told Williams he might never again be able to get an erection, despite all the pictures of scantily clad, beautiful women his friends jokingly left during hospital visits.
Re: Jay Williams said he attempted suicide after the motorcycle crash that ended his care
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Originally Posted by Rake2204
Quite an interesting read. I gave his rookie statistics a look and I always thought they were better than they really were. Did he finish the year strong or something? 9.5ppg on 40% shooting seems mediocre but I have good memories of his NBA season. Maybe I'm just off.
He had at least one triple-double and some promising moments.
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Originally Posted by Knicksfever2010
duke players NEVER become superstars in the nba (except for grant hill)
Thanks for the read. Wow that was interesting. Just glad that he did not cross that line to actually commit the act. It had to be rough on him. It makes you really appreciate the time that you have on earth because Tomorrow is never promised, so live for today. Put your ego aside, open your eyes to who and what's around you. You are loved. You are cared for. You are blessed, always remember that and it appeared that Jay realized that as well.
Re: Jay Williams said he attempted suicide after the motorcycle crash that ended his care
Didn't Jay Williams change his name from "Jason" to "Jay" in order to differentiate himself from White Chocolate and the Limo driver killer?
Also heard he got his bachelor's degree in 3 years and took running start while in HS. So basketball wise and academic wise, he exhausted all of what Duke had to offer.
Re: Jay Williams said he attempted suicide after the motorcycle crash that ended his care
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Originally Posted by 9512
Didn't Jay Williams change his name from "Jason" to "Jay" in order to differentiate himself from White Chocolate and the Limo driver killer?
Also heard he got his bachelor's degree in 3 years and took running start while in HS. So basketball wise and academic wise, he exhausted all of what Duke had to offer.
I don't think he ever legally changed it. I think that was mentioned in the article. I believe he just began having folks refer to him as "Jay" instead of Jason for the reasons you mentioned. Jason "White Chocolate" Williams was pretty hot at the time and so was Jayson Limo Williams, but for different reasons.
I didn't know about the bachelor-degree-in-three-years thing until I read the article. Impressive.
Re: Jay Williams said he attempted suicide after the motorcycle crash that ended his care
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Originally Posted by SAKOTXA
Give Kyrie 1 more year.
How many games did Kyrie actually played for Duke, like 10 games if I recall correctly. If it wasn't for the stupid 19 years old rule, he wouldn't have step foot in college.
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As for Jay Williams, I wouldn't call it a tragedy when the guy made a stupid, stupid decision. He knows how dangerous motorcycles are, and had 10-15 years left of an NBA career to fulfill.
Jay Williams said he attempted suicide after the motorcycle crash that ended his care
