Former NBA Player is Now Homeless

An avid fisherman, he has sold or pawned his best rods and reels. His golf clubs are for sale. But most of the rest of his belongings were auctioned off after he fell behind on a storage bill.

Williams also is running out of friends and relatives to ask for help. He said his brother, Gus, sometimes sends him food money. But he said Gus, who declined to be interviewed, is coping with his own financial problems.

Williams also is reluctant to turn again to Glenn, Bennett, and others who have supported him, including Mike Woodson, the former Hawks coach who played with Williams on the Knicks.

“It’s hard to keep imposing on friends when you don’t have some kind of solution to your problem,’’ Williams said.

Nor can he turn to his former agent, Fred Slaughter, who once loaned him money.

“Ray was always a good person, a good player, and a good client,’’ Slaughter said. “But was the loan repaid? No. So I just raised my eyebrows and moved on down the road.’’

Williams has never been arrested. But the deeper he falls into despair, he said, the more he prays not to break the law to make ends meet.

“If I didn’t have faith, I probably would have done something drastic by now, something I would regret for a long time,’’ he said. “I know what the devil wants me to do, to turn to crime or drugs, or anything to destroy my faith.’’

He said he needs to get back on his feet and become a productive NBA retiree, a man with a purpose.

Article Appeared @http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/07/02/desperate_times/?page=4