Jayson Williams Net Worth: Legal Issues & Career
The former professional American basketball player who played in the NBA for 11 seasons Jayson Williams, has a staggering net worth of $40 million.
He is best remembered for his time with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets.
Due to a right leg injury sustained in a collision with teammate Stephon Marbury in 1999, his professional basketball career abruptly came to an end.
In 1998, Williams was named the NBA All-Star.
However, legal troubles such as the accidental death of his limo driver significantly harmed his sporting career.
To know the incident in detail, keep on reading the article!
Jayson Williams | Quick Facts
Jayson Williams’s net worth as of December 2024 is $40 million. Let’s look at quick facts to understand more about Jayson Williams.
| Birth Name | Jayson Williams |
| Professional Name | Jayson Williams |
| Nick Name | Will, Jay |
| Birth Date | February 22, 1968 |
| Age | 56 Years Old |
| Birth Place | Ritter, South Carolina, USA |
| Weight | 240 lbs./109 kg |
| Height | 2.06 m/6 feet 9 inches |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
| Teams |
|
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Profession | Professional Basketball Player |
| Father’s Name | Elijah Joshua Williams |
| Mother’s Name | Barbara |
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| NBA Draft Year | 1990 |
| NBA Draft Pick | Round 1 / 21st Overall |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Net Worth | $40 Million |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Distinctive Feature |
|
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Sibling | 3 |
| High School | Christ The King Regional High School |
| College | St. John’s University |
| Awards |
|
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Spouse |
|
| Children | 4 |
| Active Since | 1990-2000, 2005 |
| Merch | Signed Card, Signed Photo |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
| Last Update | December 2024 |
Jayson Williams | Net Worth and Income
Multi-talented basketball player Jayson Williams’s net worth is a whopping $40 million.
In 1990, he earned $500,000 as a salary from the Philadelphia 76ers. Similarly, Jayson made $650,000 in 1991, and $800,000 in 1992.
Likewise, he had a salary of $950,000 in 1993, $1.1 million in 1994, and $2 million in 1995.
In 1996, Williams earned $2.25 million and made around $2.5 million in 1997.
Unfortunately, after achieving such high levels of accomplishment, his career ended abruptly.
Jayson shattered his right leg after bumping with teammate Stephon Marbury.
The 1999 matchup with the Atlanta Seahawks turned out to be his final significant NBA performance.
Due to his medical procedure, which involved inserting a metal plate and five bolts into his leg, playing basketball was highly unlikely for him in the future.
Following that, Williams sat out the entire 1999-2000 season until declaring his retirement on June 28th, 2000.
He had only played for nine seasons and was barely 32 years old.
In spite of this, Jayson made a brief comeback to the game by joining the Idaho Stampede and occasionally playing in the Continental Basketball Association.
When he decided to retire, he had just completed the first year of a six-year, $86 million contract with the Nets.
Although, he ultimately received almost the entire amount, and an insurance policy covered the Nets’ portion.
For a total of $121 million in salary and bonuses outside of his contract, Williams earned an extra $35 million from prior NBA contracts.
Furthermore, he made a lot of money from endorsement deals throughout his active career.
Jayson Williams’ Net Worth in Different Currencies
Let’s look into Jayson Williams’s net worth of $40 million in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | € 39,931,000 |
| Pound Sterling | £ 33,739,200 |
| Australian Dollar | A$ 59,264,520 |
| Canadian Dollar | C$ 52,083,000 |
| Indian Rupee | ₹ 3,191,850,000 |
| Bitcoin | ฿ 2085.62 |
Jayson Williams | Houses & Cars
Houses
As of December 2024, Jayson Williams’s net worth is a massive $40 million.
In 1997, Jayson and his father constructed a 27,000-square-feet house at 143 Woolf Road in Milford, New Jersey.
Williams sold the house in November 2005 for $8 million.
Similarly, he has a home in Bluffton, South Carolina, and a residence on the nearby island of Hilton Head.
Cars
Jayson owns a set of luxurious cars that he has collected throughout his career.
However, respecting his privacy, he hasn’t revealed most of his automobiles.
Williams injured his neck in a luxury Mercedes-Benz SUV incident in 2010 while having a good time at an Upper East Side pub.
Read About John Wall’s Net Worth: Career, Injury & Lifestyle
Jayson Williams | Lifestyle and Legal Issue
Lifestyle
Multi-millionaire basketball player Jayson Williams lives a luxurious lifestyle with a net worth of $40 million.
Since his retirement, he has been irresponsible with his life, but Jayson is slowly getting his life together.
He spends most of his free time playing golf at a private club near his current residence, where he is a well-respected member.
Williams frequently shows up at the Hilton Head Island Recreation Center unannounced to play pick-up hoops with the neighborhood high school students.
Many of the young people in the area who want to enter the world of pro sports are known to seek him for advice.
Talking about his love life, Jayson hasn’t had a stable relationship for a long time.
He is a romantic guy as Williams got down on one knee during a basketball game in 1996 in front of his then-girlfriend Cynthia Bailey and proposed to her.
Bailey is well-known for her work as a model and her television appearances. In the end, the pair broke up since she rejected his proposal.
Jayson wedded Kellie Batiste in 1999. However, the couple swiftly got a divorce.
After that, he married actress Tanya Young in 2000.
He has a total of four children from all his relationships.
Legal Issue
Over the course of his life, Williams has battled several legal issues.
He was charged with assault in 1992 for allegedly hitting a Chicago bar patron.
Jayson was accused of using a weapon to shoot into a parking lot near the Meadowlands Sports Complex in 1994.
He did not experience any legal punishment for either of these actions.
When Williams tried to cover up the shooting of his limo driver, Costas “Gus” Christofi, in 2002, he could not avoid serving time in prison.
According to reports, Williams was playing with a weapon when it accidentally fired, killing the 55-year-old driver.
Since the entire NBA charity basketball team was there, many people witnessed the incident.
Williams was cleared of the most severe accusations brought against him after several court appearances, but the jury was tied on whether or not to find him guilty of manslaughter.
In the end, he was found guilty on four counts of his efforts to hide the incident.
Jayson was also detained for simple assault in North Carolina in 2009, though the charges were later dismissed.
He continued to have legal issues and confessed to aggravated assault in 2010.
Jayson was finally given a five-year prison term in 2010. He also had a DWI during this time, for which he received an additional one-year period.
Williams ultimately served almost a year in prison for the murder of his limo driver before becoming qualified to be transferred to Rikers Island, where he served eight months before being released in 2012.
Jayson Williams | Charity
Williams has helped the needy and unfortunate since the start of his NBA career.
In 1990, he founded a charitable organization called “The Jayson Williams Foundation.”
The foundation’s goal is to mentor kids and assist the community in creating youth prevention programs.
In 2018, his foundation organized a golf tournament for charity.
Moreover, Jayson has received the NAACP Trailblazer Award for volunteering in the community.
Read About Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Net Worth: NBA Contracts & Cars
Jayson Williams | Movies, Books, & Investments
Movies
Williams has been featured in a few movies and television programs in his career.
In 1998, he made an appearance in a television series called “Spin City.”
Similarly, Jayson has starred in TV series such as “Today” (2019), “Cheap Seats: Without Ron Parker” (2005), “WWE Raw” (2000), and “The Daily Show” (1998).
Furthermore, in 2008, he wrote a film titled “Off Track the Movie.”
Jayson Williams’s net worth as of December 2024 is an enormous $40 million.
Books
Aside from NBA life, Jayson has released a few books.
“Loose Balls,” a book on basketball written by Williams, was published in 2001.
The book’s primary goal was to offer a funny account of the time he spent in the NBA.
Similarly, his second book was an autobiography titled “Humbled Letters ~ From Prison,” which was published in 2012.
In December 2019, “Crashing: A Memoir,” his third book, was published.
Investments
Jayson has invested in a few companies that he has created.
Williams served as the primary owner of “New Jersey Storm” of the National Lacrosse League.
Before relocating to Anaheim, California, and changing its name to the “Anaheim Storm,” the team played for two seasons in 2002 and 2003.
The Storm failed to leave much of an effect due to its poor performances and its existence in competitive markets and disappeared entirely before the 2006 season began.
Read About Blake Griffin’s Net Worth: Earnings & Suspensions
Jayson Williams | Career
In 1990, the Phoenix Suns drafted Williams in the first round with the 21st pick.
The Suns traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he served as a bench player for two seasons.
He was traded again in 1992 to the New Jersey Nets. Jayson also didn’t get a lot of game time with the Nets.
In fact, during his first three seasons, he only made 12 starts. But prior to the 1996-97 season, the Nets finally granted him a regular starting spot.
Williams excelled that season as a power forward and center, topping the league in offensive rebounds percentage.
He was among the top five NBA players in rebounds per game and total rebounds.
Moreover, he participated in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game and was chosen for his first and only All-Star game that year.
As of December 2024, Jayson Williams’s net worth is a staggering $40 million.
Some Interesting Facts About Jayson Williams
- During his 20s, Jayson adopted two of his sister’s children.
- Despite being black, he has Italian and Polish ancestry.
- Two of his siblings died from AIDS, and his father passed away due to a stroke.
FAQs
Why was Jayson Williams hospitalized in 2009?
According to the NYPD, William was tased in 2009 after acting violently and suicidal. Before this event, he had ingested many bottles of prescription drugs. Jayson was tasered and then transferred to a local hospital for medical attention.
What is Jayson Williams doing now?
He now works as a recovery advocate and has established “Futures Recovery Health Care” in Florida.
What was Jayson Williams’ jersey number?
He wore jersey number 55.
Read About Kemba Walker’s Net Worth: Career, Lifestyle & Injuries
