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Former NBA star charged with driving while intoxicated after crash

By Edmund DeMarche, CNN
Jayson Williams, seen here in a New Jersey courtroom in 2004, retired from the New Jersey Nets in 1999.
Jayson Williams, seen here in a New Jersey courtroom in 2004, retired from the New Jersey Nets in 1999.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Jayson Williams in stable condition; police say they charged him at hospital
  • Former New Jersey Net drove SUV into tree at high speed around 3:15 a.m., police say
  • Witnesses said they saw Williams move to passenger's seat before police arrived
  • Police investigating whether alcohol was a factor in crash
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New York (CNN) -- Former professional basketball star Jayson Williams is facing a charge of driving while intoxicated in connection with an early morning one-vehicle crash, New York police told CNN on Tuesday.

A New York Police Department spokeswoman said around 3:15 a.m. Tuesday, Williams exited FDR Drive near Stuyvesant Town in a black Mercedes sport utility vehicle, then hit a tree at a high rate of speed. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries, the spokeswoman said, and is in stable condition.

Witnesses told police they saw Williams, the only person in the vehicle, move from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat before police arrived.

Police said they charged Williams at his bedside in the hospital.

Williams, who retired from professional basketball because of injuries in 1999, played the last years of his career with the New Jersey Nets. He was known for his rebounding skills, and averaged 8 points and 12 rebounds per game for the 30 games he played in the 1998-99 season, according to the National Basketball Association's Web site.

He is awaiting retrial on manslaughter charges related to the shooting death of his limousine driver in 2002, and has had other run-ins with the law since then.

No further information was immediately available about Williams' condition or the criminal case.

CNN's Jamie Guzzardo contributed to this report.