Then-Northeastern team doctor, Dr. Job Fuchs, initially had told lawyers involved with the lawsuit that Lewis and LaFleur both tested positive in 1987. As he so often did with young players, Jordan tried to verbally engage Lewis, yet Reggie wouldn't participate. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Celtics in 1987 after a standout college career at Northeastern University. October 19, 2022 by Robin. "Reggie knew what we meant. He became an NBA All-Star during the 1991-92 season when he averaged 20.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. In honor of the Boston Celtics 17 championships, were highlighting 17 signature moments, both good and bad, that took the Celtics from a woeful 22-38 BAA debut in 1946-47 to the current iteration of the longtime powerhouse franchise thats now coming off an NBA Finals appearance. Fellow Celtic Larry Bird had high praise for Lewis's work ethic. "I miss him," Shaw said. These players have a higher than normal risk of sudden, potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbances or cardiac arrest, he says. "To me, this was an example of gutless journalism, yellow journalism -- based fully on a complete disregard for the truth. "It's more than just very flimsy as a cause of death," he said. Their vulnerable condition precluded them from any highly strenuous activity, and the rising number of occurrences is what compelled him to organize the weekend screening. The Tragic Death of Reggie Lewis: Boston Celtics Championship History "And Reggie was the same way. PRO BASKETBALL; Reggie Lewis's Family Had a History of Heart Problems The Tragic Death of NBA All-Star Reggie Lewis Shaped - Sportscasting I was trying to take advantage of his passive demeanor, but he didn't back down. Twenty years later, we still ponder what might have been. "He was on his way," Bird noted. [8], The following day, Lewis checked into New England Baptist Hospital, where he underwent a series of tests by more than a dozen heart specialists, who the Celtics called their "dream team" of doctors. "No, nobody did," Jordan said. http://www.hopkinsheart.org/clinical-services/centers-excellence/center-excellence-hcm.html, David March 410-955-1534 office; 410-598-7056 cellular; dmarch1@jhmi.edu. [13][14][15] The Wall Street Journal reported that physicians "suspected that cocaine killed Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewisbut they were thwarted by actions by his family and a 'dismissive' policy toward drugs by the NBA." B/W PHOTO: [excerpt of story printed in The Wall Street Journal]COLOR PHOTO:EVAN RICHMAN/THE BOSTON GLOBEAfter the Lewises left Baptist (top), Mudge gave Reggie an optimistic prognosis, but two months after he and the doctor hugged, Reggie died in the gym (opposite) of causes that the death certificate (far right) may or may not have pinpointed. Lewis, an athletic swingman from nearby Northeastern University, was considered the next big Celtics star after Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish moved on. "He was showing us older guys respect," Jordan said, "but he also knew he belonged.". Lewis averaged 20.8 points in each of his last two seasons with the Celtics, and finished with a career average of 17.6 points per contest. All Rights Reserved. He also told him that "cocaine is the only thing that would explain what we are seeing." He also refused to provide a urine or blood sample for drug tests, and that only heightened his doctors' suspicions. Reggie did not do drugs, period. 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. As a rookie, Lewis played sporadically, averaging 8.3 minutes per game under coach K. C. Jones. Jordan, who remained curious about the budding Celtics star, made a point to chat with him in the locker room. The next time, he became concerned. 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. display: block; He consistently raised his level of play during the postseason, averaging as many as 28.0 points per game in the 1991-92 playoffs. In Game 3, with Bird unable to play because of back woes, he torched the Cavs for 36 points and seven assists. Lawyers for four doctors being sued by Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, have asked Northeastern for the documents collected by a Blue Ribbon Commission on Athletics that investigated allegations of drug use by players. The autopsy found the heart "abnormal, enlarged and extensively scarred," but there was no trace of drugs. But Dr. Gold said it is difficult to tell whether cocaine, a virus, alcohol or other factors caused the heart damage. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The newspaper said Dr. Kessler's office is under investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner's office. In Game 4, he topped that with 42 points, six assists and five steals. There, Dr. Mudge performed further tests and concluded that Mr. Lewis had neurocardiogenic syncope, a benign confusion in the electrical signals running between the brain and the heart that was causing the heart to slow down at inappropriate moments. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He was 50 and lived in Manhattan and Paris. According to depositions, Lewis and his teammate Andre LeFleur first delayed taking a school-administered drug test. Drugs ruled out as cause of Lewis' death - sfgate.com 1998 The Associated Press. Teammate Dee Brown called the Wall Street Journal article "a bunch of crap.". The Baltimore native was cut from his public high school team, rescued by famed Dunbar coach Bob Wade, but then asked to be a high school sixth man. 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. Lewis was one of the exceptions. Reggie Lewis never had the chance to keep pace. He denied it. BOSTON - Doctors suspected that cocaine killed Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis in 1993, but they were thwarted by actions by his family and a "dismissive" policy toward drugs by the NBA, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The failed physical means that center Olden Polynice and forward David Wood return to Detroit. "It's more than just very flimsy as a cause of death," said Dr. Jangu Banatvala, a London researcher who the paper said is one of the world's experts on heart viruses. The 198182 Dunbar Poets finished the season at 290 during Lewis' junior season and finished 310 during his senior season, and were ranked first in the nation by USA Today.[2]. In a single dose or over years, cocaine will damage the heart. He took himself away from dealers, or people who used drugs. 1998 The Associated Press. "He had those long arms that really bothered me. Brian Shaw and Reggie Lewis planned to grow up in the NBA together. The New England Patriots agreed to a four-year, $6.9-million contract with guard Bob Kratch. The following day they were tested again, and finally passed. Twenty years later, Boston still aches for him and still wonders what might have been. #inline-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { The NBA said that Roy Tarpley, who was banished in 1991 because of drug problems, has applied for reinstatement, and, at the request of his agent, the Dallas Mavericks have talked with their 7-foot center, who plays in Greece. On Sunday, Lewis' third day in the hospital, a team of top doctors met and went over the test results. Get directions, important phone numbers, locations and more. Our goal this year is to screen an even larger number of athletes than last years event, says Theodore Abraham, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.S.E., a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of Johns Hopkins' Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic. 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. Jordan was about to win his fifth consecutive scoring title and his first NBA championship. Midway through his first season in the NBA, I asked him how he was holding up. In the last decade, Abraham has treated dozens of athletes with overly enlarged hearts. Derrick Lewis, no relation to Reggie Lewis but a former teammate at Dunbar and Northeastern, said the late player had nothing to do with drugs. If used consistently, cocaine can weaken the heart muscle, inflame it and ultimately kill the person taking it. 18. In older patients, dead tissue might indicate damage from arteriosclerosis, abnormal thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries. Lewis is buried in an unmarked grave in Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. On July 27, 1993, during off-season practice at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, Lewis suffered sudden cardiac death on the basketball court at the age of 27 years old. Remembering Reggie Lewis, 20 years after his tragic death - ESPN "That's because they understood who I was up against. Did Reggie Lewis Have to Die? - TIME "Joe never talked trash," Jordan said. BOSTON - Doctors suspected that cocaine killed Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis in 1993, but they were thwarted by actions by his family and a "dismissive" policy toward drugs by the NBA, the Wall Street Journal reported today. He said that, in cases of a damaged heart, the cause is often never discovered. Kessler's office said today that he was not available for comment. He loved it. 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. At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. 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. 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. They often found out differently when he stripped the ball from them or sent their jump shot into the seats. Unfortunately, that path was cut tragically short. That's when Lewis came down and drilled a 3-pointer to tie it. Two other doctors who examined the heart, however, said they found scarring that they described as consistent with cocaine damage, the Journal reported. It was considered career-ending. 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.

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