NEW ORLEANS — John “Hot Rod” Williams, who spent 13 years in the NBA and was a popular and tough defensive sixth man on Cleveland Cavaliers playoff teams, has died. He was 53.

He died Friday in a Baton Rouge hospital from complications related to prostate cancer.

The Cavaliers called Williams “the humble embodiment and unsung hero of one of the most memorable and successful eras of Cavaliers basketball.”

The 6-foot-11 Williams was a key player for the 1988-89 Cavs, who went 57-25 during the regular season, only to be eliminated by Michael Jordan’s last-second jump shot in Game 5 of the first-round series.

The Cavs made the playoffs in seven of Williams’ seasons in Cleveland, advancing as far as the Eastern Conference finals in 1992, when his team again lost to Jordan’s Bulls.