Post-NBA Career
After his retirement, Williams struggled financially, eventually filing for bankruptcy in 1994, which led him to lose his home and family. Williams decided to apply early for his NBA pension of $200,000. After he received it, he moved to Florida, where he fell victim to a real estate scam which worsened his financial condition.
After that, Williams worked various jobs like groundskeeper at a golf course in Central Florida, apartment complex maintenance man, part-time girls basketball coach, and bakery worker, among others. During that time, he also received grants from the NBA Retired Players Association, totaling $10,000, which couldn't help his situation.
According to a profile published in The Boston Globe in July 2010, he was unemployed and homeless, living inside a car in Pompano Beach, Florida. Williams spent his time fishing at the Hillboro Inlet Park in Pompano Beach, to help maintain himself. In November 2010, Williams' luck began to turn around as he took a job in Mount Vernon, New York, working for the city's Recreation Department as a "Recreation Specialist." Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton I. Young, Jr. was instrumental in bringing Williams back to his hometown. Williams was also helped by Linda Crawford, a nurse and a friend from his NBA days. Williams married Linda Crawford in August 2011.
Read more about this topic: Ray Williams (basketball)
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“Like the old soldier of the ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye.”
—Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964)