I've lived with my accident for 25 years now" - Jay Williams on Richard Jefferson's joke about the crash that ended his NBA career

“I’ve lived with my accident for 25 years now” highlights how Jay Williams revisited Richard Jefferson’s light-roast remarks about the crash that ended his NBA career. During an ESPN studio segment alongside Williams, Kenny Smith and host Kevin Negandhi, Jefferson joked about how fans would not be cheering as loudly if they “could see the future.” Smith added that Williams’s trajectory would have differed if he hadn’t liked motorcycles, prompting an awkward tone in the live setting. Williams later said there was no real tension, but it was uncomfortable to speak to millions while managing a “ripple effect” mindset. He described staying focused on what he did after the 2003 near-fatal motorcycle accident in Chicago, which left him with a fractured pelvis, a severed main nerve, and three torn ligaments in his left knee. He required extensive physical therapy, attempted a comeback, but retired at 23 when NBA physical demands proved too high.