Lawyers for the doctors could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. In Game 4, he topped that with 42 points, six assists and five steals. "That's because they understood who I was up against. You could always tell that.". Reggie did not do drugs, period. I havent talked too much about it over the years, Fox said to Bill Simmons in aYouTubevideo posted in 2018. Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported that, according to the autopsy report, Lewis died of myocarditis, an inflammation of heart muscle tissue. I got clearance to shoot again. "He was showing us older guys respect," Jordan said, "but he also knew he belonged.". Sudden Death of Baltimore Basketball Player Reggie Lewis Spurs Coach to SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. I was trying to be aggressive with him. Midway through his first season in the NBA, I asked him how he was holding up. Reggie got out of East Baltimore, he didn't want to go back.". Reggie Lewis's death shocked Boston and the Celtics He made his way back onto the court later in the game but quickly came back to the bench after experiencing dizziness. There were a few guys in the league I hated to guard because you didn't know what they were thinking. 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. He just came to play. The other five were all Hall of Fame inductees, so it's not a stretch to say that Lewis was on the path to greatness. As a Celtic, he and his family lived in Dedham, Massachusetts. "He was on his way to being one of the best 2-guards in the league," said friend and former teammate Brian Shaw. Our experts predict every series, 2023 NBA playoffs: Second-round series, Finals, MVP odds, 'He looks better than ever': Why the Orlando bubble was 'just the beginning' for Jamal Murray, Memphis wasn't 'fine in the West' -- getting there hinges on massive culture questions, 'Help the bear': LeBron James trolls Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies, Why the Lakers' real test begins now, after dispatching the No. He spent a lot of time improving his game. With young people, experts say, scarring of the heart is more often associated with cocaine abuse. He never relinquished his own aggressiveness. The failed physical means that center Olden Polynice and forward David Wood return to Detroit. Meanwhile, the stolen banner bearing the retired number of Lewis was back at Boston Garden after police discovered it in the bedroom of a 16-year-old Melrose, Mass., boy. * The Celtics at the time were deeply in debt and in the midst of negotiations to sell a television station. This speculation, combined with the fact that Lewis was . Lewis, like so many young players of his generation, admired Jordan and hoped to emulate his ferocious commitment to the two-way game. [7], On April 29, 1993, in Game 1 of the Celtics' playoff series against the Charlotte Hornets, Lewis suddenly collapsed on the court and remained on the ground for several seconds. Potential causes include viruses, medications, illegal drugs, poisons and . 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. . 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. He spent his entire life working his hardest to make it into the N. If there had been better understanding and appreciation for the risks involved with these heart abnormalities, Abraham says, it may have saved the life of Lewis, whos death was likely triggered by an overly enlarged and thickened heart. [21], After Lewis' death, the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center was opened in Roxbury, Boston. } Health officials in one region of Italy reported that screening had saved at least 22 lives. The other five -- Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin -- are all Hall of Famers. In the final game of his life, in the 1993 playoffs against the Charlotte Hornets and his childhood friend Muggsy Bogues, Lewis was electric in the opening minutes. It wasn't until the second overtime that the old master, Bird, came to life and ripped off nine points to enable the Celtics to hang on for a 135-132 win. The following day they were tested again, and finally passed. 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. (In an ironic twist, Rolando's son, Jeremy Lamb, would later play for Calhoun at UConn). They shouldn't bother. Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine. It also seemed an object lesson in the relativity of medical truth, and in . "Reggie Lewis' death was not caused by cocaine ingestion, nor was the damage to the heart at all typical of that known to be caused by cocaine usage," Dr. Richard Evans said. He wasn't sweating profusely or working that hard, but he suddenly crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath, and then lay still. [22] The rules have since been changed so that a similar case would result in a deceased player's contract being paid by league insurance.[23]. } 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. "They had that inner confidence where they believed, 'You can say what you want, but I'm still going to play my game.'". A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. 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 . Calhoun firmly believes Lewis would have been a Hall of Famer. The death certificate is expected to help clarify Lewis case. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins demoted 1991 first-round draft choice Markus Naslund to Cleveland of the International Hockey League. As ESPN reports, on July 27, 1993, Lewis collapsed on the basketball court during a practice at Brandeis University, just outside Boston.The All-Star was pronounced dead two hours later. The Journal added the following: Whether Mr. Lewis died from a heart damaged by cocaine -- as many doctors suspected then and now -- cannot be definitively shown. Kennedy McKinney (26-0-1) of Memphis, Tenn., knocked out Jose Rincones (19-2-2) of Venezuela in the fifth round at Johannesburg, South Africa, and retained the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight title. Such scarring also might be caused by poison, medications, alcohol or infection. There are several thousand such sudden deaths per year in younger adults in the United States by some estimates. . 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. His cause of death was cited as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common athletic ailment where the heart thickens, eventually causing heart attacks and cardiac . Following the death information, people wonder what Reggie Lewis's cause of death was. None of his teammates dared to rib him about a skinny kid from Baltimore blocking four of his shots. He slashed to the hole, ripped away offensive rebounds and seized the game by its throat. Lewis was 27 when he died in the Celtics practice gym at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., on July 27, 1993. Johnny Miller will return to Augusta National as a player in April, gaining an invitation to play in the Masters after winning in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. 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. Many cases go undiagnosed, Abraham adds, because the young athletes healthy appearance and peak physical condition may mask their underlying sickness. That was about it," Bird told ESPN. #inline-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { One of the world's leading experts on heart viruses, however, Dr. Jangu Banatvala, told the Journal that most people carry the common cold virus dormant in their bodies, making its presence in Mr. Lewis' body meaningless. MJ was the best player in the game, the perfect measuring stick for a young player trying to establish credibility. However, the league permits testing when there is "reasonable cause" to suspect drug abuse. When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it., We lost All-Star Reggie Lewis 29 years ago today. "Players tried to intimidate him, make it personal. It was not much different behind the scenes, according to the Journal. PRO BASKETBALL; Reggie Lewis's Family Had a History of Heart Problems [1] At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. However, the U.S. Olympic team does not require physical exams for its competing athletes, but instead offers voluntary cardiac screening. But Dr. Gold said it is difficult to tell whether cocaine, a virus, alcohol or other factors caused the heart damage. "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. Before his doctors got any further with the case, however, Mr. Lewis packed up, left Baptist Hospital and checked into Brigham and Women's Hospital -- a respected affiliate of Harvard University. Like everyone on the Celtics, Lewis teammate Rick Fox took the news hard. "He had success against Jordan in other games, too," Shaw said. The virus was found in Mr. Lewis' heart during the autopsy, and Dr. Kessler's conclusion was that it caused myocarditis -- an inflammation of the heart -- scarring of the heart muscle and ultimately death. He became an NBA All-Star during the 1991-92 season when he averaged 20.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. Then, there were the financial interests. Defense, they understood, was a paramount part of that conversation. "I lived with him for his first two years with the Celtics, and we went everywhere together. News articles at the time described cardiac specialists as stunned by the diagnosis of a benign fainting condition by Dr. Gilbert Mudge of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "A lot of people just knew Reggie as a basketball player, but the guys on the team knew him off the court," he said. That came from Gilbert H. Mudge, director of clinical cardiology at a Harvard teaching hospital, who said Lewis suffered from a benign neurological disorder. The possibility of another one existed when the torch was passed to Reggie Lewis. -- Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets and Claude Lemieux of the New Jersey Devils were suspended and fined by the NHL for separate incidents last weekend. Two Brandeis University police officers found Lewis and attempted to revive him using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but they were unsuccessful. When he finally stood up and headed for the bench, he looked perplexed -- and frightened. Contact us or find a patient care location. -- Steve George, the Portland Trail Blazer fan punched in the face by Vernon Maxwell during a game last month, filed a $4.5 million lawsuit against Maxwell and the Houston Rockets. They often found out differently when he stripped the ball from them or sent their jump shot into the seats. That was about it. 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. 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. Celtics' Lewis Collapses on Court, Dies - Los Angeles Times According to depositions, Lewis and his teammate Andre LeFleur first delayed taking a school-administered drug test. He had previously collapsed during a game, and a team of New England Baptist Hospital doctors said he had a life-threatening heart ailment and warned that his career was in jeopardy. If Jordans Furniture wasnt so far away, I probably wouldve been there that day and may have been able to maybe get him over to the hospital.. "But he was a worker. A $15 million insurance policy on his contract would not pay off if his disability was linked to drugs. "Basically, what the diagnosis comes down to is circumstantial evidence. * Mr. Lewis' new doctors concluded that his problem was a benign fainting condition, requiring only tests and close monitoring. In Boston, A Tragic Death Is Re-Examined - Newsweek He was drafted 22nd overall by the Celtics in 1987 after a standout college career at Northeastern University. Both were fined $500, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said the Journal's story "is based entirely on speculation and has no real factual basis.". You could always tell that.". Lewis sat, dazed, on the court. Lewis died at age 27 after he collapsed while shooting baskets. He soon left to seek care at another hospital. Lewis was one of the exceptions. But authorities stopped short of saying Lewis didn't use drugs. . Defense was also a strength for Lewis. Among the most notable fatalities to date was Lewis, a graduate of Dunbar High School who was also African-American. Jordan, who remained curious about the budding Celtics star, made a point to chat with him in the locker room. The other 5 are NBA legends: Barkley, Drexler, Jordan, Karl Malone & Mullin pic.twitter.com/1RbXJGIuDp. The use of Philips equipment for this event does not constitute or imply endorsement by Johns Hopkins of Philips products or services. 1998 The Associated Press. This article is about the professional basketball player. Kessler's office said today that he was not available for comment. "He was a tough matchup," Jordan said. The NBA's drug policy, however, does not allow its veteran players to be tested for drugs without probable cause. That was it.". He shot the ball. Lewis, 27, was the Celtics captain and leading scorer when he collapsed during a playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets in Boston Garden on April 29, 1993. On a night when Bird had his own shooting issues (he missed 21 of his 36 shots), Lewis scored 25 and utilized his lethal first step to keep Chicago's defenders guessing. Theodore Abraham, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.S.E. After Reggie's death, Shaw started a Thanksgiving giveaway in his native Oakland in memory of his friend, who hosted the same holiday charity in Boston. 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. The newspaper's report offered no proof of cocaine abuse. Test results will be reported to each athlete on site, along with recommended follow-ups if problems are detected. Feb. 20, 1994 12 AM PT. Young athletes and their parents should feel secure in pursuing physical fitness to the best of their childrens abilities and without the unknown risk of sudden cardiac death.. [1] At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. But two top heart experts in Baltimore disagreed. Though having collapsed earlier in the year, which weakens, inflames and enlarges the muscle, Lewis continued to play, not fully aware of the danger to his heart. 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. During a 1993 playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets, Lewis fell to the floor with nobody around him. An electrocardiogram, or EKG, to assess the hearts electrical rhythms will also be given. 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. He was a tough matchup, and he had those long arms that really bothered me. "The adenovirus 2 finding was wildly improbable," said Dr. Jeffrey Isner, the sole cardiologist who consulted on the autopsy. But as we know now, even top-flight athletes can have hidden heart disease.. A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. "And Reggie was the same way. 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. "No, nobody did," Jordan said. 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. [16], The Boston Celtics responded by expressing sadness about the "vicious attack on Reggie Lewis and his family" and threatening "to file a $100 million lawsuit against the reporter, The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones and Co. Inc."[17] Dr. Gilbert Mudge, a doctor who treated Lewis, was sued for malpractice in connection with Lewis' death; in written responses to questions from the attorneys for Donna Harris-Lewis, Mudge said that "16 days before Lewis collapsed from a heart attack in 1993, he acknowledged having used cocaine, but said he had stopped. Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine - CBS News display: block; MEDICAL EXAMINER REPEATS 1ST FINDING OF CAUSE OF DEATH, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, 'Horrible': Oakland rapper dumps on Chase Center Warriors fans, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis. But after listening to the tape he made in his 1995 testimony before the Northeastern Commission, Fuchs said he reported tat Lewis did not test positive. I firmly believe that this is certainly a part of this article.". Unfortunately, that path was cut tragically short. 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 reached forward to stretch his legs. "I miss the closeness of having a friend who was going through the same things as me. Explore our state-of-the-art patient care facilities in the Sheikh Zayed Tower. He never relinquished his own aggressiveness. The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System. In a single dose or over years, cocaine will damage the heart. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 'Irrational confidence', Stars pay tribute to Stephen Curry after 50-point NBA playoff game, Which teams will reach the NBA conference finals? "There was a lot of pressure on him, but it didn't seem to faze him at all.". The intense debate among his doctors over the cause of his heart damage and the possible role of cocaine never became public. Reggie had no choice but to learn to wait on greatness. "Indeed, since Reggie's death, local and out-of-town reporters have combed our campus for evidence of drug use or association by Reggie. Navratilova will play Julie Halard, who beat Katerina Maleeva. Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, 5 farmhouses to book for an agritourism getaway, How to plan a weekend getaway to Mount Shasta, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). It was during a workout at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, on July 27, 1993, when Lewis collapsed on the court and died. To those who knew Reggie Lewis best, fond memories are always front and All rights reserved. Kessler told the New York Times, I found evidence of disease, lots of it. The pathologist identified the virus as adenovirus type 2, one of several types viruses that can cause myocarditis. He stumbled to his feet and was dazed and confused. -- Utah football coach Ron McBride, who last fall led the Utes to their best season in school history, has agreed to a new five-year contract. 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. Mudge's lawyer declined to comment to the Herald on the case. Report: Doctors Suspected That Cocaine Killed Celtics' Lewis By all accounts, Lewis was primed to make the leap to the team's go-to scorer for the rest of the 90s. Since Reggie Lewis collapsed and died on a practice court in 1993, there have been rumors that the Boston Celtics star's death was . This need became more urgent after Len Bias, the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, died of a cocaine overdose.[5]. . Get directions, important phone numbers, locations and more. Reggie's not a drug user," Mr. Lewis' mother, Ms. Ritch, said last night. January 14, 2010- To this day, it still shocks former Dunbar High School basketball coach Bob Wade when he thinks back to June 1993, when he first heard that his star former student, 27-year-old Reggie Lewis, 6'7" and 195 pounds, the top scorer and center for the Boston Celtics, had suddenly collapsed and died during basketball shoot-around. That's when Lewis came down and drilled a 3-pointer to tie it. BOSTON - Reggie Lewis did not die as a result of cocaine use, according to a review of the Boston Celtics star's autopsy. Lewis death shocked the world. The Johns Hopkins team of more than 70 includes cardiologists, medical residents, nurses, ultrasound technicians, administrative assistants and community volunteers. Risk reduction strategies to prevent cardiac arrest include avoiding rigorous sports; taking drugs called beta-blockers that temper the heartbeat, preventing it from beating too fast; or implanting defibrillators that can shock the heart back into normal electrical rhythm. "Reggie knew what we meant. The lawyer denied the allegation. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Virus Damaged Heart, Lewis' Autopsy Finds - Los Angeles Times Although the myocarditis had healed, Kessler told the newspaper that Lewis heart remained scared and enlarged when he collapsed and died while shooting baskets at Brandeis University in the Boston area. We intend to sue the reporter, Ron Suskind, the Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones and Company Inc., for $100 million. "There will absolutely be no Q-and-A. "I don't give a damn what people say. The death of Reggie Lewis, Boston Celtic captain, was the result of a viral infection severely damaging his heart, leaving him vulnerable to . 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 even went out and bought life insurance policies together.
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