Shortly after 9 a.m. today, a New York Correction Department bus stopped in a parking lot off Hazen St. in Queens, just beyond the bridge that leads to Rikers Island. Former Nets star Jayson Williams had been incarcerated on the island since last August, serving eight months of a one-year sentence for driving while intoxicated and 18 months prior to that in a New Jersey prison for his role in the shooting death of driver Costas “Gus” Christofi a decade ago.
The bus followed a white Chevrolet Yukon with New Jersey license plates out of the parking lot, onto 19th Ave., then left on to 49th St. It is believed that Williams, 44, then exited the bus and got into the SUV, which sped off.
The New York Department of Correction website lists Williams as having been released today.
More: Conor Orr, The Star-Ledger — Jayson Williams released from prison on Rikers Island
Williams played for the Nets from 1992 to 1999, averaging 8.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game with a 16.1 player efficiency rating in 373 games. He signed a 6-year contract worth $86 million in January of 1999, before breaking his leg three weeks later, setting off a chain of injuries that ultimately led to his retirement. Jay-Will is also #12 on our Greatest Nets of All Time list.
