Former Knicks guard Ray Williams died on Friday at the age of 58.

He had been battling battling colon cancer at Manhattan's Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Williams was the 10th overall pick in the 1977 draft, taken by the Knicks.

He played 10 NBA seasons, including two stints with the Knicks.

"I was just with him last week at the cancer hospital," Knicks coach Mike Woodson told the New York Post earlier this month. "Awesome. Physical. Tough. Knew how to play.

"He was a prototype combo guard because he could play the one, could play two and could guard the three because he was so physical. To see him in the hospital like that, you don't wish that on anyone."

The 6-foot-3 Williams had career averages of 15.5 points a game and 5.8 assists a game.

Williams had difficulties after he retired.

He was bankrupt and homeless for periods, which led to his wife and children leaving him.

Former Celtics Larry Bird and Kevin McHale helped him get back on his feet, according to the Boston Globe.