Former NBA star Jayson Williams is expected to plead guilty Friday in the fatal 2002 shooting of a hired driver, weeks before he faced a second trial for reckless manslaughter.

A person with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press that Williams will plead guilty to aggravated assault. The person wasn't authorized to talk about the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Several other people who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk about the case confirmed a plea deal had been reached.

Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in 2004 but convicted of covering up the shooting at his central New Jersey mansion.

He was facing retrial on a reckless manslaughter charge, which carries a 10-year maximum sentence. An aggravated assault charge linked to a crime involving a gun carries a minimum 18-month sentence.

A guilty plea in the court in Somerville Friday would bring a close to a lengthy legal battle that produced a riveting televised trial in 2004, reached the state Supreme Court and exposed prosecutors to allegations of racial bias and misconduct.

It all started the night of Feb. 13, 2002, when Williams brought a group of friends back to his mansion after attending a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game.