Overweight Williams Joins Diet Program

Clipper forward John Williams on Wednesday entered a residential weight-reduction program at an undisclosed location by mutual agreement with the team and will miss the start of training camp on Friday.

The Clippers didn’t disclose Williams’ weight or his target weight, but he weighed about 300 pounds at the end of last season after reporting to training camp at about 315 pounds.

Williams, who was suspended by the Washington Bullets for the 1991-92 season because of his weight problem, was acquired by the Clippers before last season in a trade that sent former UCLA forward Don MacLean and center William Bedford to the Bullets.

“We’ve always supported John, both as a person and a basketball player, in his efforts to overcome his weight problem and we really want to stand behind him now,” Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor said. “This time John knows that in order to be an effective contributor to our team, he must first solve this problem.”

It is unknown when Williams will rejoin the Clippers, but he’ll remain on the roster and will continue to be paid.