Jayson Williams Takes On Role As Mentor With Lower East Side Non-Profit
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Former Nets center Jayson Williams' career in the NBA made him famous, but his life off the court made even more headlines.
Williams spent two years in prison stemming from the shooting death of his limo driver.
Now, after paying his debt to society, he's paying it forward.
As CBS2's Steve Overmyer reported, the retired NBA All-Star was reason enough for teenagers to get up at 6 a.m.
"Sometimes I wake up in the morning, I say, 'I'm gonna save the world.' Then I say, 'well maybe I can save my community.' Then I say, 'heck, I just gotta save myself,'" he said.
If Williams' name is familiar it's because he's spent most of his life in the news. First for his all-star career with the Nets, then for his involvement in a fatal shooting. His life went into a downward spiral, but part of starting a new life is going back to where it all started.
Williams is from the Lower East Side, so he knows the streets.
"I grew up in this park. I tried out for the 76ers in that park," he said.
Williams once lived in a homeless shelter run by the Henry Street Settlement.
"I lived here for 13 months," he said.
Now, that same non-profit is home to his new life as a mentor.
Every Tuesday for 2 hours before school, local middle schoolers come to the Henry Street Settlement for lessons in more than just basketball.
"Jayson Williams is like a Tuesday father. He's teaching us how to be responsible, teaching us the lessons of life," Eli Thomason said,
Being a father is something that Williams said he is also committed to on the home front.
"Kids will sense when you're not being honest, or if you're not doing it the right way," he said, "I gotta work on being a father at home first."
Williams added that working with teens has kept him accountable.
"You gotta find somebody to keep you accountable. My mom is still going with me but these young kids keep me accountable," he said.
Williams is still recognized, and still very much a celebrity in the neighborhood. You can't help but get caught up in his energetic persona, which is at the heart of the success of this camp.
"Yeah it saves me. And I feel like if I can save myself I can save others," he said.
Those he saves, may be his redemption.
Williams now spends his time running charity basketball camps across the tri-state area. He also hosts a radio show, and is a motivational speaker.
