BACKGROUND
After four years of college ball at Temple, 6-11 center William Cunningham has logged time with four NBA teams as well as in the CBA in his first two professional seasons. Cunningham averaged 2.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 120 games at Temple, playing 15.5 minutes per game over his four-year career. He averaged a career-high 3.8 ppg and 3.9 rpg as a freshman, 1.6 ppg and a career-high 4.2 rpg as a sophomore, 2.9 ppg and 4.0 rpg as a junior and just 1.8 ppg and 1.9 rpg as a senior. He played just 8.2 minutes per game as a senior. Bypassed in the 1998 NBA Draft, Cunningham was signed by the Phoenix Suns but waived in preseason. He later was signed to a pair of 10-day contracts by Utah and one 10-day contract by Philadelphia, playing in a total of seven games in his rookie season. He averaged 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game. In 1998-99 he played in one game with Toronto and then 10 games on a pair of 10-day contracts with New Jersey. The second contract was allowed to expire on April 12, but he signed for the remainder of the season on April 27, playing in five more games for the Nets. He also played in 21 games for the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA.

1998-99 SEASON
Cunningham split the season between the CBA and the NBA. He played in 21 games for the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA, averaging 8.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.43 blocks poer game. He signed with the Toronto Raptors and appeared in one game before he was waived on February 17. He signed the first of a pair of 10-contracts with the New Jersey Nets on March 24, appearing in 10 games before his contract was allowed to expire. Hampered by a slew of frontcourt injuries, the Nets brought Cunningham back on April 27 and signed him for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 16 games overall, 15 of them with New Jersey, for whom he made six consecutive starts April 3-11. He averaged 0.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.69 blocks in 10.1 minutes per game. He registered career-highs of six rebounds and three blocks against New York on April 11. He scored two points on three occasions.

1997-98 NOTES
Signed to a 10-day contract by the Philadelphia 76ers on 3/10 and waived on 3/18 Made his first career NBA start in a 96-90 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on 2/16 Made his NBA debut in a 111-91 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on 2/14 Signed to the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts by the Utah Jazz on 2/13