John Sam Williams (born October 26, 1966) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played professionally for several seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) and the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. His girth earned him the nickname "Hot Plate" Williams, in part to help distinguish him from John "Hot Rod" Williams of the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

who likewise played college basketball in Louisiana (at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

) and who also entered the NBA in 1986. Despite his size, in which he ballooned to close to 260 pounds by the time he was drafted, Williams was a highly skilled basketball player. He was in particular an exceptionally good passer, and averaged over 4 assists per game in 3 separate seasons, an excellent average for a player his size. He was frequently used as a

point forward Point forward is a nontraditional position in basketball, with a small forward—or sometimes a power forward or combo forward—adding the responsibilities of point guard to their play. Characteristics Generally, teams employ a point forward ...

, handling the ball and conducting the offense.

College career

Williams played collegiately for

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

, and was drafted into the

by the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

in 1986 with the 12th overall pick.

Professional career

As a rookie, Williams averaged just under ten points and five rebounds per game for the Bullets. He improved significantly his second season, and started 37 of 82 games. The 1988–89 NBA season, his third, was clearly his best, as he achieved career-high season totals in almost every statistical category, despite coming off the bench in all but one game. Williams' productivity declined in the five injury-plagued seasons that followed. He missed more than half of four of those five seasons due to various injuries, which, though not necessarily caused by his weight, were certainly aggravated by it. His eight-year NBA career included five seasons with the Bullets, two with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, and one (his final season) with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. He left the NBA in 1995, but went on to play 132 games over 6 seasons in the Spanish

, averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Weight issues and player profile

Williams' eating problems and weight issues were as a result of stress and depression. By the time he entered the draft, he lost his grandmother, two childhood friends, while supporting his mother, grandfather and children from previous marriages. His weight issues got so bad that Bullets and Clippers put him on weight reduction programs, and suspended him with no pay. By the time he played for the Pacers, his offensive skills and court vision had not diminished, but his vertical leap and stamina suffered significantly due to his weight, making him a defensive liability. At his lowest weight, he managed to drop to 235 lbs, but he gained weight back up to about 260 lbs.

References

External links

NBA statistics
at Basketball-Reference.com

at Basketball-Reference.com

at Sports-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John 1966 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from California Basketball players from Los Angeles Bàsquet Manresa players CB Granada players CB Lucentum Alicante players CB Valladolid players Centers (basketball) Continental Basketball Association coaches Indiana Pacers players Liga ACB players Los Angeles Clippers players LSU Tigers basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Washington Bullets draft picks Washington Bullets players Crenshaw High School alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople