SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) An acquaintance of Jayson Williams testified he hid clothing after the former NBA star ran up to him naked following the fatal shooting of a hired driver in Williams' bedroom.

The testimony of John W. Gordnick, who has pleaded guilty to evidence tampering, came under attack Wednesday as defense lawyers tried to show that he was under pressure to make a deal with prosecutors that would let him avoid prison in exchange for his testimony.

Gordnick testified that prosecutors told him at one point that they were considering seeking a guardian for his children, but that was dropped when he began cooperating.

Before that, authorities went to his children's school in an attempt to interview them.

``That upset you, didn't it?'' asked defense lawyer Billy Martin.

``Very much,'' Gordnick replied.

Gordnick was the third witness in the trial to describe a chaotic scene after driver Costas ``Gus'' Christofi was hit with a single blast from a shotgun held by Williams early on Feb. 14, 2002.

None were in the bedroom with Williams and members of the Harlem Globetrotters when the shooting happened, but all three have said they later went in the room and saw Williams wiping down the shotgun.

Gordnick said Tuesday that he was downstairs at an indoor basketball court with his two young sons with a friend of Williams', John McPartland, a former professional basketball player in Europe, when they heard a ``thump.''

The two men went upstairs, and Gordnick said Globetrotter Curley ``Boo'' Johnson dashed past them ``probably running as fast as he can run.'' But another Globetrotter, Chris Morris, walked out and said something that led Gordnick to wonder if Williams, known for playfulness, was pulling a prank.

Entering the bedroom, ``I saw Jayson on his knees with his hands on his head,'' said Gordnick, 46, of Rochelle Park. ``I heard him a few seconds later, 'Oh my God, Oh my God.'''

He also saw the stricken Christofi, and soon realized it was no gag, he said. After checking on his children, and instructing them to stay at the court, Gordnick returned to the bedroom and saw the naked Williams running toward him from the bathroom, holding clothes.

``He said, 'Here J.G.,''' and left Gordnick holding the clothes, Gordnick said.

Gordnick said he ``assumed'' Williams wanted him to get rid of them, prompting an objection from Martin that the witness could testify only to what he actually knew.

Gordnick said he put the clothes in his car in a black garbage bag. When he returned to the bedroom, he noticed more clothes on the floor and put them in the car of a friend, Kent Culuko, since his car was locked and he had left his keys in the house, Gordnick testified.

He later hid the bag at a Route 17 underpass. On his lawyer's advice, he agreed to give the clothes to authorities, but first told Williams and asked if he had a problem with that, Gordnick said.

``He said, 'Absolutely not. You do whatever you have to do,''' Gordnick testified.

Gordnick told the jury that under his plea bargain, his record will be expunged if he testifies truthfully. He faced a probationary sentence for the crime, which carries up to 18 months in prison. He pleaded guilty a half-year after the shooting.

In other testimony Tuesday, McPartland said that after he learned of the shooting, he saw Williams swimming naked in the indoor pool, which was adjacent to the indoor court.

McPartland, 33, of Mahwah, also said that after police had gathered all the guests in the living room, the guests agreed to a cover story: that they were all downstairs and Christofi wandered off.

Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Joseph A. Hayden Jr., McPartland said the instruction on the false story came from another Williams friend, Kent Culuko, who had organized the outing to a Globetrotters game in Bethlehem, Pa., the evening before the shooting.

At the game, Culuko told McPartland that Williams wanted him to return to the Williams estate in Alexandria Township to fetch a limousine to ferry the Globetrotters to dinner, McPartland testified.

He declined. Culuko called a livery service and Christofi was dispatched with a passenger van to get the players, testimony has shown.

The players were taken to the Mountain View Chalet, where the group had dinner, before going to Williams' mansion for an early morning tour.

Kent Culuko has pleaded guilty to evidence and witness tampering. McPartland was not charged.

Williams, 36, faces eight charges, including aggravated manslaughter and witness tampering, that could carry up to 55 years in prison. The least of the charges carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison, but would likely result in probation.

The defense maintains the shooting was an accident, and that the shotgun was prone to malfunction.

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