Jordan won six with the Bulls. Mr. Lewis, whose $1 billion acquisition in 1987 of the Beatrice . George Archer had a second-round five-under-par 67 to take a two-stroke lead at a Senior PGA tournament in Naples, Fla. Thomas Hearns (53-4-1) retained his North American Boxing Federation cruiserweight title by overcoming two knockdowns in a unanimous 12-round decision over Freddie Delgado at Charlotte, N.C. I havent talked too much about it over the years, Fox said to Bill Simmons in aYouTubevideo posted in 2018. -- Conchita Martinez, the defending champion and No. The diagnosis was that Lewis suffered from focal cardiomyopathy, a condition of the heart muscle that could cause heart failure. 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. The New England Patriots agreed to a four-year, $6.9-million contract with guard Bob Kratch. The possibility of another one existed when the torch was passed to Reggie Lewis.. Mudge was later cleared of any wrongdoing, and he insisted he had never authorized Lewis to resume workouts.[9]. 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. [21], After Lewis' death, the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center was opened in Roxbury, Boston. Contact us or find a patient care location. }, First published on December 29, 1998 / 10:15 PM. Lewis denied using drugs. But authorities stopped short of saying Lewis didn't use drugs. African-American players at special risk of death from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Sudden Death of Baltimore Basketball Player Reggie Lewis Spurs Coach to Screen Other Young Players For Heart Defects - 01/14/2010. He left having scored 17 points in 13 minutes. Jordan said Reggie would have been a "perennial All-Star," and Shaw is convinced he could have been one of the greatest Celtics of all time. The Tragic Death of Reggie Lewis: Boston Celtics Championship History Potential causes include viruses, medications, illegal drugs, poisons and . Fellow Celtic Larry Bird had high praise for Lewis's work ethic. "The defendants want to avoid facing their negligence, and to distract attention from the truth with lies and unfounded rumors.". I called Jordan earlier this week to see if he had any recollections of a young Lewis blocking him four times. What Killed Reggie Lewis? The Tragic Death Of Reggie Lewis - Grunge Two other doctors who examined the heart, however, said they found scarring that they described as consistent with cocaine damage, the Journal reported. "It's something that people don't like to bring up," Mr. Gaston said. The other five -- Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin -- are all Hall of Famers. Explore our state-of-the-art patient care facilities in the Sheikh Zayed Tower. "The adenovirus 2 finding was wildly improbable," said Dr. Jeffrey Isner, the sole cardiologist who consulted on the autopsy. He spent a lot of time improving his game. He played 15 minutes, scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. The team stood to lose millions of dollars if Mr. Lewis were unable to play basketball because of drug abuse. Lemieux punched Brett Lindros on Sunday while the New York Islander right wing was pinned against the boards. 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. "So it comes down to detective work, depending on age of person and what else you see, you would make that determination. The story of how Reggie Lewis is one of the most heartbreaking stories you will ever hear. 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. Navratilova will play Julie Halard, who beat Katerina Maleeva. In a single dose or over years, cocaine will damage the heart. 'It's going to be epic': Stephen Curry and LeBron James face off -- again, Curry sets G7 record with 50 as Dubs move on, Hobbled Butler serves as 'decoy' late in Heat win, Grizz's Brooks doesn't regret verbal jab at LeBron, 'This one's on me': Brunson self-critical after loss, Jokic on Murray's playoffs: 'We are following him', Rivers: Embiid likely doubtful for G1 vs. Celtics, How do Stephen Curry and the Warriors keep doing this?! [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]. The following day, the Celtics gathered a dozen heart specialists through New England Baptist Hospital, a dream team of doctors, according to The Boston Globe. For further evidence of what might have been, you need look no further than March 31, 1991, when Reggie Lewis did something I never thought possible: He completely and utterly flummoxed the great Michael Jordan. [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. He later went on to win three rings with the Los Angeles Lakers. Brian Shaw and Reggie Lewis planned to grow up in the NBA together. ", Asked if anyone else had ever blocked four of his shots in one game, Jordan answered, "No one had ever done it before, and no one has done it since.". Lewis was selected to play in his first and only NBA All-Star Game held in Orlando, Florida in 1992. Following Lewis' death, questions were raised about whether he had used cocaine, and whether cocaine use had contributed to his death. PRO BASKETBALL; Virus Damaged Lewis's Heart, Autopsy Finds On a warm July afternoon in 1993, Reggie Lewis went with a friend to Brandeis University to shoot baskets. To those who knew Reggie Lewis best, fond memories are always front and At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. 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. [citation needed], On March 22, 1995, the Boston Celtics retired Lewis' jersey. Reggie Lewis was a professional basketball player who died suddenly at the age of 27. His cause of death was cited as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common athletic ailment where the heart thickens, eventually causing heart attacks and cardiac . You could always tell that.". On July 27, 1993, while shooting baskets at Brandeis University, Lewis collapsed and died. Doctors tried to get answers. Lewis scored 20.8 points per game in both of his final seasons with the Celtics. The next day, he entered Boston's New England Baptist Hospital for a battery of tests. . But he abruptly left their care to get another opinion. Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, denied today that he refused to take a drug test and said he didn't use drugs. From 1988-93, he was 1 of 6 players to post 7.5K PTS, 1.5K REBS, 1K ASTS & 500 STLS. As many as 300 young athletes from 18 teams, ranging from 14 to 18 years of age, will be examined for HCM. "[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. Remembering Reggie Lewis, 20 years after his tragic death - ESPN . A bad back forced Bird into early retirement in 1992. The following day they were tested again, and finally passed. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below. "Reggie knew what we meant. Sudden Death of Baltimore Basketball Player Reggie Lewis Spurs Coach to Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine - CBS News In addition, there is a history of heart trouble in Mr. Lewis' family. "The question of drug use is not new," said John A. Curry, president of Northeastern University, alma mater of Mr. Lewis and Ms. Harris-Lewis. Calhoun firmly believes Lewis would have been a Hall of Famer. They were unable to determine which diagnosis was correct, but wanted Lewis monitored closely. During a 1993 playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets, Lewis fell to the floor with nobody around him. That is how I will remember him," Ms. Harris-Lewis said. [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." Each athlete will receive a cardiac ultrasound, or echocardiogram, to measure heart size and its pumping function, including blood volume, and to check for faulty valves. 18. The Celtics selected Lewis with the 22nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. "It's more than just very flimsy as a cause of death," he said. He soon left to seek care at another hospital. These players have a higher than normal risk of sudden, potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbances or cardiac arrest, he says. The use of Philips equipment for this event does not constitute or imply endorsement by Johns Hopkins of Philips products or services. 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. Midway through his first season in the NBA, I asked him how he was holding up. Parish played his final game as a member of the Celtics in 1994. A single dose can increase heart rate and blood pressure, narrow the arteries and cause a heart attack. Most of the time internet deceives the audience by passing news about a healthy person as if they are dead. "A lot of people just knew Reggie as a basketball player, but the guys on the team knew him off the court," he said. Boston went 32-50 in its first season without its best player. Defense, they understood, was a paramount part of that conversation. 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. And by the fourth time, on a lefty drive to the hoop, Jordan was irritated -- and somewhat spooked. "There's simply no hard science, no evidence," linking the virus to the condition that killed Lewis. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, 17-part series on the Celtics championship history. Printouts from a test that illuminates how blood moves through the heart prominently showed three black patches - dead spots - on the left ventricle. It was not much different behind the scenes, according to the Journal. By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Staff,July 28, 2013, 12:00 a.m. 11. I was getting some furniture, and he said, Hey man, I got clearance to play. A viral infection severely damaged the heart of Reggie Lewis, the Boston Celtics' captain, leaving him vulnerable to the abnormal heart rhythm that killed him on July 27, according to his death . What kind of legacy would he have carved out in a city that had already embraced him as one of its own? In 2004, the International Olympic Committee recommended that all athletes be EKG-tested every two years for potential heart abnormalities. Because Lewis was so understated off the floor, opponents mistakenly figured he lacked the killer instinct. He also told him that "cocaine is the only thing that would explain what we are seeing." He was a tough matchup, and he had those long arms that really bothered me. Mr. Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, said at the same news conference that she is "disappointed that a national publication would print rumors, innuendoes. There were a few guys in the league I hated to guard because you didn't know what they were thinking. 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 the last decade, Abraham has treated dozens of athletes with overly enlarged hearts. That was about it," Bird told ESPN. 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. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reggie Lewis's death still hurts, 20 years later. Baptist Hospital, meanwhile, gathered a team of a dozen cardiologists from New England hospitals to review the case. His mother, Inez "Peggy" Ritch, has had two heart attacks -- the first when she was 17 and the other in 1990, after she had been a cocaine addict for about seven years. One of his two brothers was born with a hole in his heart and underwent open-heart surgery at age 4. However, the league permits testing when there is "reasonable cause" to suspect drug abuse. All rights reserved. Dr. Stanton Kessler, the deputy medical examiner, told the Journal that he stood by his findings. Trending News Over his four years at Northeastern, Lewis scored 2,708 points, still the all-time record at the university. Lewis returned briefly to the game but was eventually pulled due to dizziness and shortness of breath. 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 Celtics at the time were deeply in debt and in the midst of negotiations to sell a television station. But Reggie never said a word. Haarhuis defeated Jaime Yzaga, 6-3, 6-3. . "He was on his way," Bird noted. 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. That's when Lewis came down and drilled a 3-pointer to tie it. 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 called me literally the day he died, and I was at Jordans Furniture remember Jordans Furniture? We intend to sue the reporter, Ron Suskind, the Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones and Company Inc., for $100 million. We'll deal with that in time.". The autopsy found the heart "abnormal, enlarged and extensively scarred," but there was no trace of drugs. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Celtics in 1987 after a standout college career at Northeastern University. The death of Reggie Lewis, Boston Celtic captain, was the result of a viral infection severely damaging his heart, leaving him vulnerable to the kind of abnormal heart rhythm that killed him last July, according to his death certificate. Thats because they understood who I was up against. Doctors who reviewed the records agree that cocaine did not kill basketball player Reggie Lewis, the state's chief medical examiner said yesterday. Reggie Lewis, all-time great Boston Celtic (1987-93) pic.twitter.com/r2dHHkgvl8, Robert Parish Said Phil Jackson Got Straight to the Point With Him After Signing With the Bulls. Lewis, like so many young players of his generation, admired Jordan and hoped to emulate his ferocious commitment to the two-way game. "That's because they understood who I was up against. On March 31, 1991, at the Boston Garden, Lewis gave Jordan a night he hasnt forgotten. Lewis blocked Jordan four times in that game and harassed him into a 12-for-36 shooting performance. None of his teammates dared to rib him about a skinny kid from Baltimore blocking four of his shots. 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 doctors said that if Lewis had used cocaine, it might have contributed to his heart attack, and that they would have treated him differently. 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.. The newspaper said Lewis' death couldn't have come at a worse time for the publicly traded company that owns the NBA team, the Celtics Limited Partnership. He tried to return to action that night, but the Celtics medical staff pulled him again when he suffered dizziness and shortness of breath. "I was trying to be aggressive with him. 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. 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. -- A month after suffering brain injuries in a world title fight, super-middleweight Gerald McClellan is breathing on his own and occasionally opens his eyes and moves his arms. [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. [citation needed], Lewis' contract remained on the Celtics' salary cap for two full seasons after his death because at the time the NBA did not have a provision to void contracts if an active player died; NBA Commissioner David Stern suggested that the remaining NBA teams should approve an exemption for Lewis' contract, but the teams refused to do so. [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. Vaccines & Boosters | Testing | Visitor Guidelines | Coronavirus. He told the athlete privately that his career was over. On Nov. 19, nearly four months after Lewis died, a death certificate was filed in Waltham listing the cause of death as adenovirus 2, a common virus that causes the common cold, that led to inflammation of the heart, widespread scarring of tissue and, ultimately, a fatal cardiac arrest. "It was so surprising, so sad. He also said he experienced guilt. He said that, in cases of a damaged heart, the cause is often never discovered. Autopsy results found Lewis had a large, extensively scarred heart, and the cause of that scar tissue is still not known. 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.. That was it.". "To my knowledge, seeing Reggie on a regular basis, I would be shocked," to learn that he had used cocaine, said Celtics coach Chris Ford. McBride's 1994 Utes tied the school record with eight straight wins, finishing 10-2. } Mudge's lawyer declined to comment to the Herald on the case. 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. He never relinquished his own aggressiveness. Just to throw that bone out there so people think about it, I think that's not right at all.". 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. Most players weren't athletic enough to literally "hang" with Jordan. "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.". Chang will face Paul Haarhuis, who has never won a singles title, in the final. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19 and subscribe to our YouTube channel. 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. At issue was concern for his reputation and the financial interests of his family and the team, the newspaper said. How much better could he have been? * The Celtics told Mr. Lewis' doctors -- incorrectly -- that National Basketball Association rules prevented them from forcing Mr. Lewis to submit to drug tests -- tests that, if positive, would have allowed him to seek life-saving medical help, but also might have forced an end to a career that was lucrative to Mr. Lewis and the team. Mr. Lewis' doctors immediately began to question him about drug use after the fainting incident. A doctor defending himself against a malpractice suit in the death of Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis said Lewis told him he had used cocaine, according to court . -- 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. Hookailo said that the university has already handed over hundreds of pages of documents, including Lewis' medical records, to lawyers on both sides of the case. 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 . title by defeating Walter Ray Williams Jr., 276-238, in a tournament at Richmond Heights, Mo. Find a doctor at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center or Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. 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. This NBA Player Died on The Court.. - YouTube "Reggie was on his way to being something really special. Follow @TIME. He just came to play. Dumars was on a roster that included Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and John Salley, and their supersized personalities often overshadowed his accomplishments. Hookailo said defense attorneys have rejected Northeastern's compromise. If you know that somebodyused cocaine, you might think that caused it, but they might have heart damage for another reason," Dr. Gottlieb said. Because of Lewis' age and physical condition, Dr. Charles Munn, the hospital's staff radiologist, and Dr. Thomas Nessa, Baptist Hospital's cardiologist, considered cocaine as being involved. In the initial shock, the death of basketball star Reggie Lewis last week seemed a grim parable of the seductive power of professional sports -- of an athlete so devoted to a game and its rewards that he would distort medical truth in order to keep playing. He died too young, too soon, under murky circumstances that left more questions than answers. Doctors at Boston's New England Baptist Hospital, where the 27-year-old Celtics captain was taken first for tests, saw three black patches, indicating dead tissue, on Mr. Lewis' left ventricle -- the main pumping chamber of the heart. Drugs ruled out as cause of Lewis' death - sfgate.com When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it., We lost All-Star Reggie Lewis 29 years ago today. Reggie Lewis Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2