November 21 was the 40th anniversary of the tragic death of Ben Wilson, a charismatic young basketball star from Simeon (Chicago) who was killed just outside the campus of his high school on the eve of his 1984-85 senior season. Earlier that summer, Wilson attended the Nike ABCD (Academic Betterment and Career Development) All-American Camp in Princeton, New Jersey and emerged from it as the nation’s No. 1 player.
Wilson was having a lunchtime argument with his girlfriend and was visibly upset, and in a rush to get her attention, had an altercation with Billy Moore. He was a student from another high school who was carrying a gun. In his temporary state of anger, Wilson ran into Moore and the two got into a heated argument and Wilson reportedly taunted Moore after he pulled his weapon out. Moore shot at Wilson twice and fled and word spread that Wilson had been shot outside the school.
Paramedics were reportedly slow to arrive at the scene and approximately 37 minutes after being shot, Wilson was finally transported to a hospital that wasn’t equipped to handle traumas such as shooting wounds.
Wilson’s condition worsened as the night went on and the next morning (Nov. 21, 1984) his mother Mary Wilson asked doctors to remove her son from life support.
Wilson’s death had a significant impact in Chicago and in the basketball community. We take a look at Wilson’s death and four other tragedies in that era and what the basketball community learned from them. These deaths still resonate and the lessons learned after life-lasting.
Died From Gunshot Wound, November 21, 1984
What Happened:
Wilson was having domestic issues with his girlfriend (whom he had a child with) and was upset when another young man pulled a gun on him. In the heat of the moment, Wilson was shot twice. Wilson was considered the nation’s No. 1 prospect, lock for the 1985 McDonald’s All-American Game and a future NBA player.
What We Learned:
The importance of summer camps became ten-fold because then Nike ABCD Camp Director Sonny Vaccaro was able to provide evidence in a civil disposition that being the best player at camp, as Wilson was, or being ranked No. 1 in the country as a high school basketball player, had tremendous monetary value. With college players being able to sign early with colleges in November beginning in 1982-83, the summer and what a player did prior to his senior year became of most importance.
This notion of value attached to a prospect prior to turning pro is, of course, quite important in the current Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) era of NCAA and high school basketball where players are able to profit off that value. Wilson symbolizes that importance and his death is a grim reminder of inner-city gun violence. There were over 500 gun-related deaths in Chicago in 1984 and that number, sadly, has been in that annual range in the years since.
Died From Cocaine Intoxication, June 19, 1986
What Happened:
On June 17, Bias was drafted No. 2 overall by the defending NBA champ Boston Celtics and less than 48 hours later, he was dead from a cocaine-induced drug overdose. During that time in the country, drug abuse and cocaine was on the national consciousness. The general public was just beginning to understand the dangers of cocaine and for youth, this was the unfortunate educational moment that resonated.
What We Learned:
This is the big one of the five for us, the one that really resonated. We learned that regret can be ever-lasting when all it would have taken was a friend to say “hey, let’s chill guys and go to bed”. Bias’ mother also felt something wasn’t right after the draft when her son wanted to return to the Maryland dorms and mother’s intuition is something that is unforgettable about this situation.
Two things we learned are timing in life is important and a good deterrent is critical in many instances. Bias passed right before the 1986 congressional mid-terms, so his death became political and no one in Washington, D.C. wanted to be known as "soft on drugs.”
His death affected future drug-related sentencing and increased penalties for drugs, which disproportionately affected many African-Americans. I would also include myself in the large group of youth who never tried hard drugs in life because of what happened to Lenny. His death was that big a learning lesson.
Died From Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, March 4, 1990
What Happened:
This tough and chiseled forward who led the NCAA in scoring and rebounding in 1989, collapsed during a game vs. UC-Santa Barbara on Dec. 9, 1989. He was found to have an abnormal heartbeat and was prescribed Inderal, a drug used to manage heart rhythms. This greatly affected his on-court performance and eventually his Inderal dosage was reduced.
On March 4 in a game during the WCC Tournament, Gathers collapsed for the second time and stopped breathing moments later. He was pronounced dead later that evening at a nearby hospital. There was some speculation Gathers stopped taking his medicine on the days LMU was scheduled to play.
What We Learned:
How an unexpected death can shatter families and ruin friendships. Bo Kimble, a childhood friend and high school teammate at Dobbins Tech (Philadelphia, Pa.), also played for LMU and both were expected to be lottery picks in the 1990 NBA Draft. Gathers could have left the year prior, so the financial windfall his death created was tough on his family back in Philadelphia.
We also learned the value of legal liability, as the Gathers family sued many entities involved in the incident. Loyola Marymount and the cardiologist who treated Gathers eventually settled out of court, but others were sued who tried to help Gathers on that faithful day. The damage was done, as the Gathers and Kimble families didn’t reconcile until a decade after the incident, even though Kimble had nothing to do with his friend’s unfortunate death.
Died From Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, July 27, 1993
What Happened:
The sinewy forward suffered cardiac arrest during an off-season workout, as he was preparing to return to the NBA after collapsing during a 1993 playoff game vs. the Charlotte Hornets on April 29, 1993. Celtics’ doctors originally diagnosed him with focal cardiomyopathy and it was believed his condition was career-ending.
Lewis, however, sought another medical opinion and later was diagnosed with another condition, neurocardiogenic syncope, that wasn’t considered fatal. Regardless, Lewis resumed working out and died.
What We Learned:
That people sometimes don’t understand danger, don’t learn lessons from the past and seek the answers they are looking for. The Gathers’ incident heightened awareness about the dangers of cardiovascular issues and playing strenuous sports. We recall an incident at the California state championships in 1990 where Lisa Leslie was reported to have “fainted” and the first thought was Gathers.
In that light, I was in utter disbelief to see Lewis collapse and remain on the ground vs. the Hornets and for the game to continue as if nothing odd was happening. Not only that, Lewis briefly returned to the game even though he clearly was at times holding his chest and worried about his condition.
It was the most bizarre thing I have ever witnessed in a pro basketball game. He should have been taken to the emergency room right then and there and his career over. Lewis was a young man who wanted to continue playing because he probably was scared and didn’t know anything else. Lewis' actions towards his own health were a bit shocking in light of the original prognosis and Nov. 21 happens to be his birthday. Lewis would have turned 59 this year.
Died From Suicide, August 14, 1989
What Happened:
This smooth and talented forward was the No. 18 overall pick of the 1988 NBA Draft after playing for his father, Bill Berry. at San Jose State. Coming out of high school, it was noted he wouldn’t play for his father, as he chose to attend Oregon State University.
Berry was a young married man playing pro basketball and lived two hours from his parents in Carmichael, Calif. For many that would seem to be a dream, but there were problems underneath the surface that a majority of the public didn’t know about. Before the start of his second NBA season, Berry committed suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and left a suicide note.
What We Learned:
Closure is important to people in death and despite what you hear about athletes making good money for a living (Berry was paid $300,000 in the first year of his three-year rookie contract), they have real problems and stress. Berry was reportedly having marital issues and was somewhat estranged from his parents over getting married.
After his death, his Kings teammates never spoke to anyone in Berry's family about his death. That was tough for many of them as they didn’t know how to approach the situation. You hear about the glamorous lifestyle of athletes and how nice it must be, but when a young man commits suicide you realize the human element of sports and how fragile life can be. Berry’s death was a tough lesson.
Check out
Ballislife Bets
section for other stories and detailed analysis of upcoming matchups.
BALLISLIFE.COM
