BATON ROUGE, La. // John “Hot Rod” Williams, a popular sixth man with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1995, has died.
Williams’ agent, Mark Bartelstein, says Williams died Friday in a Baton Rouge hospital from complications related to prostate cancer. He was 53.
The 6-foot-11 Williams was a Louisiana native who played at Tulane and was the school’s second all-time scorer. He spent his first nine NBA seasons with Cleveland, then closed his career with shorter stints in Phoenix and Dallas, last playing in 1999.
Williams played in 887 NBA games, averaging 11 points and 6.8 rebounds. During the 1989-90 season, he averaged 16.8 points and 8.1 rebounds.
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