Professional athletes’ sudden deaths throughout their careers are shocking. Athletes live long, robust lives to compete, making their early deaths more heartbreaking. NBA history is full of players who died while playing.
This affects fans, league, teams, coaches, and players. Most significantly, it affects their family and friends. They may be gone, but their legacy in the sport will be everlasting. Today we honor 10 NBA players who died during their playing career.
#10. Len Bias
Len Bias was touted to be a generational talent in the NBA, but the youngster tragically met his demise on June 19, 1986, even before playing a single game in the league. At the young age of 22, Bias was on the brink of a promising career, having just been selected as the second overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA Draft.
A standout forward from the University of Maryland, Bias was poised to join the Celtics and start a brilliant career. However, just two days after being drafted, he attended a celebration at the University of Maryland where he ingested a fatal dose of cocaine leading to his death at only 22.
His autopsy revealed that the player had fallen prey to substance abuse and lost his career and life, like few others before him. An excessive dosage of cocaine had caused his death untimely, cutting short his potential NBA career. It remains one of the most tragic scandals in the league’s history to date.
#9. Reggie Lewis
Reggie Lewis, a talented NBA player of his time, met a tragic end while playing for the Boston Celtics. Born on November 21, 1965, Lewis was just 27 years old when he faced an untimely demise on July 27, 1993.
After six seasons in the NBA, he had established himself as a top-tier shooting guard and was named an All-Star. Reggie Lewis averaged 17.6 pts, 4.3 rebs per game in his career. This promising trend unfortunately came to a halt.
During off-season practice on July 27, 1993, Reggie Lewis hit the floor suddenly in what seemed to be a cardiac arrest. Two Brandeis University police officers tried to revive him but despite their best efforts, they were unable to save the Celtics’ skipper.
Reggie had previously passed out during a first-round game against the Boston Celtics in the season prior. A cardiac condition fatal to his career was discovered after exhaustive testing. The player was able to return to court after receiving a revised diagnostic that downgraded his illness, but he eventually fell prey to his condition.
The Celtics’ #35 jersey has never been worn since. As a lasting homage to the Maryland native who left this world much too soon, Boston Celtics retired Reggie Lewis’ number in 1995.
#8. Dražen Petrović
Croatian basketball sensation Dražen Petrović met a tragic end on June 7, 1993, at the age of 28. At the time, he was playing for the New Jersey Nets in the NBA.
Petrović played in Europe before joining the NBA in 1989. In America, he made little progress. Before becoming famous, he was a Portland Trail Blazers reserve. Petrović wanted a move in 1990-1991 because he was unhappy with his job and playing time.
Moving to the New Jersey Nets would revolutionize his life. Over the next two years, his scoring average rose to 20 pts per game and his three-point percentage reached 45. He even made All-NBA Third Team in 1993.
Petrović died in a German vehicle collision on June 7, 1993. On that fateful day, Petrović was a passenger in a car driven by his girlfriend. The accident occurred on the Autobahn in Germany, where their vehicle collided with a truck.
The impact proved fatal for Petrović, instantly claiming the life of the promising basketball player. Petrović’s international and European successes with the Nets were the foundation of his legacy, which earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
#7. Jason Collier
Ohio seven-foot center Jason Collier gained national attention as a high school basketball star. He has a stellar high school and college career before declaring for the NBA draft.
The Milwaukee Bucks traded Collier to the Houston Rockets after drafting him 15th overall in 2000. Jason Collier’s three years with the Rockets were successful, especially in his second year when his scoring average peaked.
After joining the Atlanta Hawks for his fourth season, Collier played more and averaged 11 pts per game in 20 games. Disaster happened on October 15, 2005, when Collier lost consciousness and suffered shortness of breath.
He died on the way to the hospital at only 28, ending a promising career way too soon. The cause of his death was sudden cardiac rhythm disturbance caused by an enlarged heart, a disease that has also claimed the lives of other athletes in the past.
#6. Terry Furlow
Former Hawks assistant coach Mike Fratello remarked that Terry Furlow brought a “ferocious competitiveness” to the floor. He loved the rough and tumble of NBA life and never backed down from a fight. Tragically Furlow lost his life on May 23, 1980, at the age of 25 in a car accident. During that time, he was playing for the Utah Jazz as a shooting guard.
On that ill-fated day, Terry Furlow was driving a 1979 Mercedes Benz in Euclid, Ohio, when he hit a post after a night of partying in Cleveland with his ex-Cavs teammate Clarence Walker. Furlow had no chance of surviving the collision. An autopsy found that both men had illicit drugs in their systems.
Furlow’s dreams were cruelly cut short despite his obvious promise. With the Jazz, he had a promising season, averaging 16 points and 4 assists in 55 games. After years of navigating the league, Furlow appeared to have settled into a key role until tragedy struck. His untimely death at only 25 left the NBA with unrealized promise and a legacy of missed opportunities.
#5. Lorenzen Wright
The circumstances behind Lorenzen Wright’s tragic death continue to be a mystery as police investigate it as a possible homicide.
Back in 1996, the Clippers spotted Wright’s potential and drafted him with the seventh overall choice. He then went on to have a productive NBA career, playing for and helping the Hawks, Grizzlies, Kings, and Cavaliers over the course of 13 years.
Wright tragically disappeared on July 18, 2010, after leaving his ex-wife’s Tennessee home. His corpse was found in the woods after 10 terrifying days of searching. According to the forensic reports, he had met his tragic end on July 19, 2010, at the age of 34.
The news that his phone had called 911 the day after he vanished, and those gunshots had been captured during the call was disturbing. The mystery surrounding his death was only heightened by these terrible findings and there is still no closure to the case.
#4. Eddie Griffin
Philadelphia’s 6’10” high school basketball star Eddie Griffin had a record four Catholic League Championships. He received various accolades for his exceptional qualities in senior year. Griffin was selected national rookie of the Year by Sporting News for his amazing rookie season.
Griffin’s brilliance was overshadowed by his behavior after a series of on-court altercations during his college basketball, and he declared for the 2001 NBA Draft. The Brooklyn Nets selected him seventh overall and traded him to the Houston Rockets.
Although Eddie Griffin’s early career showed promise, his issues with intoxication and substance abuse became a hiccup in his play. Seasons after season, his intoxication and uneven play persisted.
It was in 2007 that tragedy struck as Griffin died at the age of mere 25 after running a railroad crossing signal and being struck by a train. According to toxicology examinations, Eddie Griffin’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit, revealing his internal issues that ended his life and basketball career.
#3. Ricky Berry
Ricky Berry had been praised highly during his time in the NBA. Kenny Smith once compared him to “Reggie Miller with a handle.” The veteran college scout for the Chicago Bulls, Dave Bollwinkel, saw him as a surefire All-Star for years to come.
Unfortunately, Ricky’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 24. His head was shot off when he was found by his wife Valerie in the family room. A suicide note left at the scene explained his last choice. Ricky said goodbye to his parents, younger sister Pam, and Valerie before he took his own life.
He blamed the stress of his problematic marriage on “the little things” that he felt might have been prevented. Ricky Berry, who averaged 11.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in his career, decided to give up his budding basketball career despite showing promise. The NBA community felt a great loss with his passing.
#2. Bobby Phills
NBA shooting guard Bobby Phills met a tragic end at the age of 30 in a high-speed motor chase. At the time of his death, he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets.
A 6’5″ shooting guard, Phills was remarkable for his outside shooting and tough defense. Bobby Phills was drafted second in the 1991 NBA Draft after leading the country in three-point field goals per game in his senior year at college.
Boby Phills died in a Charlotte car collision on January 12, 2000. On that fateful day, Phills was involved in a high-speed motor chase racing teammate David Wesley in Charlotte, North Carolina. Phills’ Porsche breached the center line and crashed into oncoming traffic while pursuing Wesley at almost 100 mph.
The other drivers survived the crash, but Phills was pronounced dead at the scene. His life was cut short at just 30. He was found guilty of dangerous driving, but teammate Wesley was acquitted of the same. Bobby Phillips’ sudden passing marked a profound loss for the NBA, and the team retired his jersey number 13 in his honor.
#1. Malik Sealy
Five months after the vehicle accident that killed Bobby Phills, the same tragedy struck and claimed the life of Timberwolves star player Malik Sealy. Sealy’s Range Rover was involved in a head-on collision with a Dodge pickup, in a Minneapolis suburb on their way back from Kevin Garnett’s 24th birthday party. The sudden loss of Sealy shook the Timberwolves to their core.
“He was a beautiful person who affected everybody in a particular way, we are a close-knit family, and we are all going through this together.”, Coach Flip Saunders had said.
A minute of silence was held in honor of Sealy before to the Western Conference Finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. Kevin Garnett changed his jersey number from 5 to 2 and tattooed Malik Sealy’s name on his right arm as a tribute to his late buddy, who had a profound influence on his life.
Sealy played in the NBA for eight seasons, averaging 10.1 pts and 3.2 rebs per contest. Malik Sealy’s bright basketball career was cut short by tragedy when he was just 29 years old, leaving him with unrealized potential.
NBA athletes are exposed to an extreme amount of stress and pressure to perform in their careers and on every game day. Perhaps, the responsible dignitaries must put more thought into regulating the games, the calendar and also focus upon developing the mental and physical health of their athletes.
