SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) Jayson Williams told a judge Wednesday he will not take the stand at his manslaughter trial.

``I am innocent, I put my trust in God and I have great confidence in this jury,'' the former NBA star told Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman without the jury present.

Williams said he made the decision after discussions with his wife and defense team.

He is charged in the February 2002 shooting death of a limousine driver at his mansion.

The defense has been attempting to show that Williams was not aware that the driver, Costas ``Gus'' Christofi, 55, was in the bedroom with him while he was giving a tour to friends and members of the Harlem Globetrotters. Williams picked up a shotgun, snapped it shut and it fired, killing Christofi.

Williams, 36, faces eight charges, the most serious of which is aggravated manslaughter. Collectively, they carry up to 55 years in prison.

Williams is also charged with attempting to make the shooting look like a suicide and persuading others to lie about it.

Williams retired from the New Jersey Nets in 2000 after a decade in the NBA, unable to overcome a broken leg a year earlier in a collision with a teammate. He was suspended from his job as an NBA analyst for NBC after the shooting.