PHILADELPHIA, (Reuters) – Former professional basketball star Jayson Williams was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison for the shooting death of a limousine driver in 2002, prosecutors said.

The retired player for the New Jersey Nets pleaded guilty  to aggravated assault after the death of driver Costa Christofi  in an incident at Williams’s New Jersey mansion, according to a  statement from the state attorney general’s office.

Williams must serve a minimum of 18 months, after which he will be eligible for parole, according to a ruling by Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman.  Coleman also ordered Williams to serve a concurrent sentence of five years in prison on charges related to his efforts to cover up the shooting.

“With this sentence, Jayson Williams is being held accountable for his criminal recklessness in the death of Mr. Christofi and for his attempt to cover up the crime,” said Attorney General Paula Dow in a statement.