By the time he died, he was one of six players who, from 1988-93, posted at least 7,500 points, 1,500 rebounds, 1,000 assists and 500 steals. Colombias team was encouraged when doctors said a knee cartilage tear suffered by midfielder Carlos Valderrama, 32, wasnt as severe as feared and he should be ready for the World Cup. Doctors who examined the late Boston Celtics player Reggie Lewis say they believed his heart quite likely was damaged by cocaine before the former Dunbar High basketball star collapsed and died of . Reggie Lewis Cause of Death, How did Reggie Lewis Die? For other uses, see, Reggie Lewis portrait from the Celtics yearbook, America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, List of basketball players who died during their careers, "Fallen Celtic: Remembering Reggie Lewis", "The Reggie Lewis Aftermath Boston Mourns, Puzzles And Opines Over Celtics Star's Death", "Celtics sign PJ Dozier to a two-way contract", "With Len Bias-Reggie Lewis Duo, Boston Celtics Could Have Owned 1990s", "Every retired number for the Celtics and who wore it", "To those who knew Reggie Lewis best, fond memories are always front and center", "Officer Defends Arrest of Harvard Professor", "Young athletes urged to get screened for heart trouble", "Report: Doctors Suspected That Cocaine Killed Celtics' Lewis", "Cocaine claim could spur insurance probe", "Deadly Silence: How the Inner Circles, Of Medicine and Sports, Failed a Stricken Star", "Doctors: Drugs Did Not Kill Reggie Lewis", "At Face Value, Board Makes Celtics Pay For Their Success", "Bosh, Heat part ways over year after last game", Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reggie_Lewis&oldid=1144474244, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Northeastern Huskies men's basketball players, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 13 March 2023, at 23:36. The Wall Street Journal reported in 1995 that doctors at New England Baptist recommended Lewis be tested for cocaine. With young people, experts say, scarring of the heart is more often associated with cocaine abuse. But as he was running down the left side of the parquet, he inexplicably stumbled, then fell. It was the first and only trey he attempted all night. That came from Gilbert H. Mudge, director of clinical cardiology at a Harvard teaching hospital, who said Lewis suffered from a benign neurological disorder. "I was trying to be aggressive with him. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Elliott: Pissed off Kings must improve in key areas to break Oilers playoff stranglehold, Shohei Ohtanis seventh home run of the season helps Angels avoid sweep, Florida Panthers upset record-setting Boston Bruins in Game 7 OT thriller, Dodgers dont need the long ball to finish sweep of Cardinals, School is in session as Sparks begin training camp. The Detroit Pistons rejected a trade for Sacramento center Duane Causwell, saying he failed to pass a physical examination because of an unspecified problem. The Celtics selected Lewis with the 22nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. From 1988-1993, Lewis managed to block Michael Jordan four times in a single game and served as only the sixth player at the time to score 7,500 points, 1,500 rebounds, 1,000 assists, and 500 steals. [3] He was a second cousin of PJ Dozier, who wore the jersey number 35 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in honor of Lewis. ", "It's not true. She said that the school promised privacy to people who spoke to the commission and that releasing the files would cripple the school's ability to conduct future confidential internal investigations. It was during a workout at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, on July 27, 1993, when Lewis collapsed on the court and died. Discover what's to love about Charm City for yourself. His considerable skills were matched by a silent, patient resolve that served him well. Lewis was told his condition was most likely career-ending. Lewis denied using drugs. His death was attributed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a structural heart defect that is the most common cause of death in young athletes.[11][12]. [1] At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. The most frustrating thing is that so many athletes are seemingly unaware about the consequences of putting too much strain on their abnormal cardiac muscle during vigorous exercise, adds Abraham. Virus Damaged Heart, Lewis' Autopsy Finds - Los Angeles Times The other 5 are NBA legends: Barkley, Drexler, Jordan, Karl Malone & Mullin pic.twitter.com/1RbXJGIuDp. He denied it. "What is undeniable: Cocaine was a central, explosive issue for the doctors, the Lewis family, the Celtics and the pathologists who conducted his November 1993 autopsy - an issue that became untouchable because Mr. Lewis was a basketball superstar," the newspaper said. . When Reggie Lewis collapsed and died on July 27, 1993, at the age of 27, he was already a husband, a father, a community leader, an NBA All-Star and a Celtics captain. Dr. Stephen Gottlieb, associate professor and director of the heart failure service at the University of Maryland Medical System, said that although physicians ruled out various viruses in earlier testing of Mr. Lewis, that doesn't mean they ruled all of them out. The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System. Reggie played in the shadows of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in his early Celtics years, but by his fifth NBA season, he was a dominant player, carrying Boston in the 1992 Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland. The block surprised Jordan, whose otherworldly elevation usually negated any chance of a rejected shot. By his second season, thanks in part to a new coach (and an injury to Bird), Lewis averaged over 30 minutes and scored 18.5 points per game. The Celtics plan to retire Mr. Lewis' uniform number during halftime of a game on March 22, a ceremony the club says will go on as scheduled. It has been 25 years to the day since Lewis collapsed while shooting baskets at Brandeis University and died from heart failure at a nearby hospital on July 27, 1993. "We used to talk all the time about how we wanted to be the breakout tandem, the Celtics backcourt to be reckoned with for a long, long time.". He shot the ball. The Celtics responded by threatening to file a $100 million lawsuit against the reporter, the Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones and Co. Inc. "The story was written with complete disregard for the truth," the team said in a statement. Wade has lent his support and will join volunteers and heart disease experts from Johns Hopkins in Marylands only screening program to detect early signs of life-threatening heart abnormalities in student athletes. Reginald F. Lewis, 50, Is Dead; Financier Led Beatrice Takeover Marta Figueras-Dotti ended 11 years of frustration on the LPGA Tour with a victory in the Hawaiian Ladies Open at Ewa Beach. "To me, this was an example of gutless journalism, yellow journalism -- based fully on a complete disregard for the truth. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed "It's thought to be the most common cause of unexplained heart damage in young, otherwise healthy people. Such scarring also might be caused by poison, medications, alcohol or infection. His cause of death was cited as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common athletic ailment where the heart thickens, eventually causing heart attacks and cardiac . Recent media reports have raised questions about whether drug use weakened his heart. Test results will be reported to each athlete on site, along with recommended follow-ups if problems are detected. PRO BASKETBALL; Virus Damaged Lewis's Heart, Autopsy Finds "He was a gamer. A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. Lewis blocked Jordan four times in that game and harassed him into a 12-for-36 shooting performance. The Celtics had created a marketing poster declaring the "Changing of the Guards," featuring Lewis and Shaw towering over the parquet, with championship banners in the background. } Andy Neuer won his first Professional Bowlers Assn. The lawyer denied the allegation. Reggie went 15-of-17 from the floor and was within seconds of a Sweet 16 berth before Rolando Lamb shattered Northeastern's dreams with a turnaround 17-foot leaner off an inbounds play as time expired. Health officials in one region of Italy reported that screening had saved at least 22 lives. He tried to return to action that night, but the Celtics medical staff pulled him again when he suffered dizziness and shortness of breath. "There was a lot of pressure on him, but it didn't seem to faze him at all.". When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it., We lost All-Star Reggie Lewis 29 years ago today. Haarhuis defeated Jaime Yzaga, 6-3, 6-3. . #inline-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { He made his way back onto the court later in the game but quickly came back to the bench after experiencing dizziness. Follow @TIME. At issue was concern for his reputation and the financial interests of his family and the team, the newspaper said. The victory set up a possible matchup of Hearns and Bobby Czyz (41-5), who won a 10-round unanimous decision over George OMara on the undercard. "It's more than just very flimsy as a cause of death," he said. This speculation, combined with the fact that Lewis was . [citation needed], On March 22, 1995, the Boston Celtics retired Lewis' jersey. } Autopsy results would later confirm that Lewis had an enlarged heart, an inherited defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which produced an errant heart rhythm under exercise stress that led to his sudden death. Our goal is to make this not only an annual program in Maryland, but to serve as a model for other programs to start across the country, state by state, city by city, if necessary, Abraham says, noting that other countries, such as Italy and Japan, have since the early 1980s run regular school programs to screen teenage athletes and non-athletes for possible heart problems. The Journal said these "dismissive policies regarding drugs may have affected human behavior and medical procedure in a fatal fashion.". Like Sportscasting on Facebook. "A lot of people just knew Reggie as a basketball player, but the guys on the team knew him off the court," he said. Two other doctors who examined the heart, however, said they found scarring that they described as consistent with cocaine damage, the Journal reported. Reginald C. Lewis (November 21, 1965 July 27, 1993) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. Lewis started all 82 games and shot better than 50% from the floor that season. A year after that epic battle with the Bulls, Reggie Lewis was chosen for his first All-Star Game. Nobody ever gave Jordan any flak over his performance that night. Both were fined $500, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. Explore our state-of-the-art patient care facilities in the Sheikh Zayed Tower. Mr. Lewis died from a cerebral hemorrhage related to the cancer, his company said. Reggie Lewis, the Boston Celtics' star who collapsed with a heart ailment during a playoff game last April and was warned by doctors that he would risk his life if he ever played basketball again . All five consulting physicians in the case, plus three medical labs, agreed that drugs were not involved in the death of the Boston Celtics' captain, Evans said. Lawyers for the doctors could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. However, the league permits testing when there is "reasonable cause" to suspect drug abuse. . "He was a tough matchup," Jordan said. display: block; PRO BASKETBALL; Reggie Lewis's Family Had a History of Heart Problems Doctors link cocaine use to Lewis' death, report says "If there were suspicions, it was from discussions outside of the autopsy.". The autopsy did not reveal evidence of cocaine, which would be difficult to detect after more than three days, and without other evidence of drug use it could not be listed as a cause of death, the doctors said. As a Celtic, he and his family lived in Dedham, Massachusetts. Defense was also a strength for Lewis. Dr. Kenneth Baughman, professor of medicine and chairman of the division of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said viruses commonly cause this type of heart damage in young people. Any and all proceeds will go to the Reggie Lewis Foundation.". As a result, Lewis began working out in preparation for returning for the 1994 season. Just ask Michael Jordan. The extra adrenalin is like poison to the heart. Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported that, according to the autopsy report, Lewis died of myocarditis, an inflammation of heart muscle tissue. "Any allegation that economic or monetary concerns could have conceivably played a role in any care that Reggie Lewis got are absolutely ludicrous," he said. I was trying to take advantage of his passive demeanor, but he didnt back down. "[18] On the other hand, the doctor who performed the autopsy on Lewis testified that the scarring on his heart was inconsistent with cocaine use, and other doctors reached the same conclusion though they "stopped short of saying he never used drugs. According to the Journal, the partnership found itself with a capital deficit of $28.1 million in the summer of 1993. Dr. Baughman said a diagnosis of cocaine use could not be made unless there was evidence of specific cocaine-induced damage to the heart -- caused by spasms in the arteries -- and evidence the person was using cocaine. "He was on his way to being one of the best 2-guards in the league," said friend and former teammate Brian Shaw. He stumbled to his feet and was dazed and confused. A lawyer for Lewis' family denied the allegation, the article said. By all accounts, Lewis was primed to make the leap to the team's go-to scorer for the rest of the 90s.