John Williams, The Only Basketball Player To Be Suspended For One Season For Being Overweight

John Williams (Photo: MARCA)

JAKARTA - The sacking of Joris Gnagnon from Sevilla for lack of physical discipline is not an anomaly as seen in the world of sport. The situation of young footballers is strange, but this is not the first time this has happened.

The most famous example comes from John Sam Williams, the power forward who ended his basketball career in Spain and was the only player to be suspended for the entire season due to weight problems.

The former Washington Bullets player - now the Wizards - was an impressive youngster. He shone at Louisiana State - the university that also gave birth to the name Shaquille O'Neal.

Williams has everything from height and quality to vision of the game. But he is haunted by the depression that has followed him since the deaths of two childhood friends and his grandmother, as well as the pressure to support his family financially.

In his fourth season with the Bullets, Williams went all out until a knee injury forced him out. This is the beginning of the end of his journey with the Bullets.

Without playing basketball, Williams was mostly quiet and eating. It got worse when his father suffered a heart attack and Williams stopped going to rehab.

In the 1990/91 season, it became increasingly difficult for Williams to run and jump around the court as he weighed more than 127 kilograms. He even reached 137 kilograms and the Bullets gave him a no-play penalty.

They set a target of 118 kilos for Williams but he was never able to reach that weight. Williams eventually left the Bullets and his agent threatened legal action against the club.

Williams then joined the LA Clippers for two years before moving to the Indiana Pacers. After that, he played in Spain.