The last rebound that Jayson Williams pulled down in his NBA career came on April 1, 1999. That was when an injury derailed his career, fueling already-active drinking habits to new highs, and sending him into a dark place. His legacy as a terrific NBA rebounder was forgotten, replaced with one of a criminal after killing limousine driver Gus Christofi with an accidental shotgun blast and attempting to cover up his role in the tragic incident. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2010, served several months in prison and was released in 2012.
But just because that 1999 rebound was his last on the court didn't mean it would be the last rebound in Williams' life. And though at first he turned back to alcohol to ease his pain, he had a life-changing encounter with two other New York athletes: Jets star Curtis Martin and Knicks great Charles Oakley. They turned him toward a path of sobriety and accountability, and now he's on a mission to do the same for others. He's not only rebounding; he's assisting as well.
Williams founded the "Rebound Institute," his own therapy facility and rehab center, after he got out of rehab himself. Adventure therapy is the focus of the facility, and several athletes, including Delonte West, have enrolled in the program. What does adventure therapy entail? Sports, thrilling activities like skydiving, and more camaraderie with "teammates" to pull those who are struggling out of their habits and lead them into healthier lifestyles.
He can never forget what happens and knows just how much pain he's caused, but working to help others is his way of paying for his past.
"I’m robotic. I try to do the exact same thing every day. I caused a lot of pain — to my family, to Mr. Christofi’s family, to people that love me," Williams said in 2019 (via Fred Kerber of the New York Post). "And I can’t shake it. I cannot shake it. So I just work it all day long trying to help others."
So helping others is what he does. Former Nets and 76ers center Mike Gminski was a recent success story, and his experience was presented on the "Bouncing Back" episode of HBO's "Real Sports Podcast," available on RADIO.COM.
"The one moment that really blew me out of the water was the death of my fiancee," Gminski said. His fiancee, Sarah, passed away in 2015. "Then, the thing that put it over the top was COVID. And all I was doing, I was drinking and passing out, and I'd get up in the morning and I'd start drinking again and I'd pass out at night. And that was my life."
Gminski was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, coming into his own as a dominant interior presence for a spell in the mid-to-late-1980s. He was a teammate of Williams for the first half of the 1990-91 season, where he mentored the young St. John's graduate to become an imposing presence in his own right. As narrator Max Gershberg noted, it was Williams' turn to help Gminski.
"Mike probably went through a half of gallon of liquor on the trip here when they were driving from North Carolina," Williams said. "When he got out, we could not pick him up, literally. He's seven [feet] of a man who's not well. I didn't think he would make it out of detox."
But Gminski did, and then some. Faced with jumping out of a plane as part of the unique itinerary of a Rebound Institute teammate, Gminski was hesitant at first. Luckily, he pushed through.
"I immediately said, there is no f'ing way I am jumping out of a plane, ever," Gminski said. "We got to the opening of the plane and I looked down and the wind was just howling. We got over and jumped out, did a somersault and then once we started to float I was like, man, this is cool.
"We kind of come in hot, hit the landing and I'm like, can I go again? That one singular moment just made everything possible for me. It just gives you the sense of, you can do anything. At least it gave me that sense, and, all of a sudden, facing the whole life of sobriety, you know, that was an incredible help to me."
Gminski left the Rebound Institute in September and has been sober since, says Gershberg, and says what took place at Rebound was a miracle.
"He told me when he left, he said, 'thank you for saving my life,' " Williams said. "There's no better feeling. And it makes you cry."
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