NBA.com: John Williams Bio

A 6-11 forward and center, John "Hot Rod" Williams provided the Cleveland Cavaliers with solid play for nine seasons before coming to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Dan Majerle prior to the 1995-96 season, then moving on to Dallas in 1998. Whether starting or coming off the bench, Williams is a talented shotblocker and capable scorer and rebounder. He spent the entire 1999-2000 season on the injured list because of a bad back. A native of Sorrento, La., Williams was given his nickname as an infant for his habit of scooting backwards on the floor while making noises like an engine. He made more noise as a college player at Tulane, becoming the school's all-time leading scorer with an average of 16.0 points per game over four seasons. As a junior, he was named Metro Conference Player of the Year. Williams began his NBA career in 1986-87, the same year Cleveland brought in Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Ron Harper. Williams had a strong rookie season, averaging 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds and joining Harper and Daugherty on the NBA All-Rookie Team. Williams scored about 11 points per game during the next two seasons, then turned in his best great year in 1989-90, averaging career-highs of 16.8 points and 8.1 rebounds while finishing 10th in the NBA in blocked shots with 2.04 per game. Early in the 1990-91 campaign Williams suffered a sprained left foot and missed 37 games. He came back the following season to record a career-high 2.28 blocked shots per game and shoot above .500 from the field for the second time in his career. In a solid 1992 postseason he averaged 15.0 points as the Cavs made it all the way to the conference finals before falling to the Chicago Bulls. In 1993-94 Williams turned in his best offensive campaign in four seasons at 13.7 points per game. He became the starting center late in the year when Daugherty went down with an injury, and in 1994-95, with Daugherty lost for the season, Williams started at center all year. He helped anchor the injury-depleted club with 12.6 points per game, led the team in blocked shots and tied for second in rebounding. The Phoenix Suns, looking for a shotblocking presence, obtained Williams in exchange for the popular Dan Majerle prior to the 1995-96 season. Williams was hampered by injuries in his first season with the Suns and played in just 62 games, but led the club with 90 blocked shots (1.45 bpg). He also was the team's third-leading rebounder at 6.0 rpg. Williams played in 68 games in his second season to Phoenix, and his importance was underscored by the fact that the team lost all 14 games which he was unable to play due to injury, including the first 12 of the season when he was sidelined because of plantar fasciaitis in his right foot. He went on to start 66 of 68 games and lead the Suns with a career-high 8.3 rebounds and 1.29 blocks. Williams appeared in 71 games in 1997-98 but only 30 as a starter, eventually giving way to Clifford Robinson in the starting lineup. He averaged career-lows of 3.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 18.8 mpg. Prior to the 1998-99 season, Williams signed with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent, but he saw little action, especially after midseason. He did not play in 1999-2000 because of a back injury.

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Totaled a season-high 16 points (6-6 FG, 4-5 FT) and 5 rebounds in a 134-105 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 3/9 Registered 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in a 102-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons on 3/5 Grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, adding 7 points and 3 steals, against the Detroit Pistons on 12/3

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Williams appeared in 68 games, making 66 starts, and in the 14 games he missed Phoenix went 0-14. With Williams in the lineup, the Suns were 40-28. He led the team in rebounding with a career-high 8.3 rpg, and he also was the team's leading shotblocker at 1.29 bpg, while averaging 8.0 ppg and shooting .490 from the field. Williams opened the season on the disabled list due to plantar fasciaitis in his right foot and missed the first 12 games. But he, like the Suns, came on strong as the season wore on--in the team's 11-game winning streak from March 20 to April 10 he averaged 12.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.20 blocks and had six of his season's 13 double-doubles. In his final 30 games he blocked 55 shots, 1.83 bpg, giving Phoenix a vital defensive presence. Williams scored a season-high 22 points in a 114-107 victory over Washington on Dec. 18, one of 22 double-figure scoring efforts. He had 26 double-figure rebounding games, hauling down a season-high 16 boards in a 109-96 decision over Houston on April 2. He had 27 games with multiple blocks, including a season-high six blocks to go along with 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 122-115 win over Golden State on March 28. Williams started all five of the Suns' playoff games against Seattle, averaging 4.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.60 blocks in 21.0 minutes.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Williams averaged just 7.3 ppg in an injury-plagued first season with the Suns, the first time in his 10-year career he failed to reach double figures. He did lead the team in blocked shots at 1.45 bpg and ranked third on the team with 6.0 rpg. Williams played in 62 games, the second-lowest total of his career, and made 58 starts. He missed 10 games due to nerve irritation in his right leg, four due to a sprained right hand and wrist, four due to a sprained right knee and two as a DNP-CD. The Suns were only 7-11 in the 18 games Williams missed due to injury. He recorded three or more blocks nine times, including a career-high tying nine blocks against Golden State on March 21. That was just one short of the franchise record set by Larry Nance in 1988. He scored in double figures 21 times, including 12 of the last 15 games, and rebounded in double figures 14 times, including nine of the last 17 games. He scored a season-high 23 points at Denver on Dec. 8 and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds at San Antonio on Dec. 2. He started all four playoff games against San Antonio and averaged 9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and a team-high 1.75 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
In the absence of Brad Daugherty, who spent the season on the sidelines with a back injury, Williams was handed the starting center slot and provided solid play for the injury-riddled Cleveland Cavaliers. His presence in the middle was a key factor behind a Cavs defense that limited opposing teams to under 90 points per game. Williams led the club in blocked shots (1.36 per game) and finished third on the team in steals (1.12 per game). He also tied for second in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and ranked fourth in scoring (12.6 ppg). When the season ended, he stood atop Cleveland's all-time blocked shots list with 1,200 rejections. Williams turned in a number of fine performances. He grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds three times. He hit for a season-high 24 points in the next-to-last game of the regular season, draining 12 of 13 shots against the Milwaukee Bucks. On January 18 he knocked down the second three-point basket of his career. With Williams anchoring the middle, the Cavaliers won 43 games and reached the playoffs, in which they faced the New York Knicks in the first round. Williams had played well against the Knicks during the regular season, averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in four games. He struggled in the playoffs, however, shooting .286 from the field and averaging only 6.8 points and 6.3 rebounds as Cleveland was ousted in four games.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
Long known as one of the NBA's best sixth men, Williams was forced into a starting role for most of the 1993-94 season because of injuries to Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, and Tyrone Hill. The eight-year veteran filled in well, starting 72 times in 76 games and averaging 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds. He also led the team in blocked shots with 130. Williams scored in double figures 62 times and scored 20-plus points on 13 occasions. He recorded a season-high 6 blocked shots twice and scored a season-high 23 points in four different games. Against the Dallas Mavericks on April 2 he tied a career high in rebounds with 18. For all of his success in the regular season, however, Williams became yet another Cavalier casualty just before the playoffs. While practicing for a first-round series with the Chicago Bulls, Williams suffered a fractured right thumb and missed the entire postseason.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Williams again played the Cavs' sixth-man role as well as anyone in the league, but he suffered through another shortened season as a January hand injury limited him to only 67 games. He started 13 times during the year, finishing with averages of 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Williams scored a season-high 27 points in a game against the Sacramento on December 15 and grabbed 12 rebounds on three occasions, the last time against the Seattle SuperSonics on March 2. He ranked second on the Cavaliers to Larry Nance and 19th in the NBA with 1.57 blocks per game.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
Williams returned to fine health in 1991-92, playing in 80 games and starting 12 times. He continued to be a shotblocking force, ranking 11th in the NBA with 2.28 blocks per game, second among forwards to teammate Larry Nance (3.00). Williams averaged 11.9 points for the season, shooting better than .500 (.503) for the second time in his career. Starting in place of center Brad Daugherty on April 17, Williams banged in a season-high 30 points against the Indiana Pacers. He had back-to-back games of 16 rebounds on December 7 against the Washington Bullets and December 11 against the Miami Heat. For the season Williams led the Cavs in rebounding 19 times and finished third on the club with 7.6 per game.

1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
Williams ran his consecutive game streak to 250 before suffering a severely sprained left foot against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 16. Not only was the string broken, but Williams was out for the next 37 games. Before the injury, he had averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.33 blocks in Cleveland's first nine contests. Williams returned on February 6 but played only 34 games the rest of the way. He started six times from March 10 to 22, averaging 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in those games, including a season-high 23 points against the Chicago Bulls on March 16. All in all, Williams totaled only 43 appearances for the year, averaging 11.7 points.

1989-1990 REGULAR SEASON
Williams logged his best individual season in 1989-90. He played in all 82 games for the second straight year, assembling a string of 241 consecutive appearances. A splendid sixth man, Williams started only 29 times during the year but still managed to play 33.9 minutes per game. He posted career highs in scoring (16.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg) while shooting .493 from the floor. He also led all NBA forwards in blocked shots (2.04 per game), ranking 10th overall in the NBA. Williams knew when the TV cameras were on, choosing a nationally televised game against Detroit on April 8 to knock down a career-high 33 points. He led the Cavs in scoring 21 times, had four 30-plus outings, and 29 games of 20 or more. Cleveland lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the 1990 NBA Playoffs, but Williams exploded in the series for 19.0 points per game over five contests.

1988-1989 REGULAR SEASON
Williams was one of four Cavs to play in all 82 games during the 1988-89 season. He started 10 times but by now had become one of the NBA's most prolific sixth men, and Coach Lenny Wilkens wasn't going to rob his bench of its firepower and defense-not that it wasn't tempting. In his 10 starts Williams averaged 14.8 points on .488 shooting, with 6.9 rebounds and 1.90 blocks. He scored a season-high 27 points against Phoenix on January 11, hitting 12 of 17 field-goal attempts. He finished the year averaging 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, shooting a career-high .509 from the floor.

1987-1988 REGULAR SEASON
Williams came off the bench in his first four games before starting the next 50. On March 9, Cleveland Coach Lenny Wilkens switched Williams into a sixth-man role for the season's final 23 games, and in that stretch Williams averaged 11.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.09 blocks, shooting .536 from the floor. He finished the season ranked ninth in the NBA in blocked shots, with 1.88 per game. He scored a season-high 24 points against the San Antonio Spurs on March 11 and had a career-high 9 blocked shots against the Washington Bullets on February 3. Williams scored at least 20 points on seven occasions, finishing the year at 10.9 points per game.

1986-1987 REGULAR SEASON
John "Hot Rod" Williams got his nickname as a baby for his habit of scooting backwards across the floor making engine-like sounds. At Tulane University, Williams made more noise. As a junior he was named Metro Conference Player of the Year ahead of former Memphis State star Keith Lee, who would later be a Cavs teammate of Williams. Williams's bright future turned cloudy late in his senior season, however, when he and four teammates were arrested on five counts of sports bribery charges. They were later indicted by a grand jury after being accused of shaving points in two games during the season. The resulting fallout was that Williams's stock in the 1985 NBA Draft dropped precipitously. The once sure first-round pick fell all the way to the middle of the second round, finally being selected at No. 45 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NBA, however, couldn't approve the contract Cleveland offered Williams until his legal troubles were resolved. That didn't happen until June of 1986, so Williams was forced to sit out the entire 1985-86 season. When a decision was handed down, Williams was acquitted on all charges. Williams finally made his NBA debut in 1986-87 and joined a Cavs rookie class that included Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, and Mark Price. By season's end, Williams, Daugherty, and Harper had all earned spots on the NBA All-Rookie Team. Williams finished third on the team in scoring (14.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.9 rpg), leading Cleveland in blocked shots, with 167. His blocks per game average of 2.09 ranked first among rookies and 11th overall in the NBA.