You could always tell that.". However, the league permits testing when there is "reasonable cause" to suspect drug abuse. "When Reggie first came into the league, he really didn't know how to play the game. L He charged further that the article was motivated by racism. At a Boston news conference yesterday, the team's majority stockholder, Paul Gaston, criticized the Journal for suggesting in the Page 1 article that the team sought, for financial reasons, to cover up suspicions that drug use lay behind Mr. Lewis' illness, thereby undermining his care. 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. Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below. "He was showing us older guys respect," Jordan said, "but he also knew he belonged.". Teammate Dee Brown called the Wall Street Journal article "a bunch of crap.". That was about it," Bird told ESPN. The most dynamic scorer in NBA history is now admitting two decades later that he was shocked by what Reggie Lewis did to him, confused by his length and made tentative offensively. I got clearance to shoot again. [4], Lewis was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA draft. }, First published on December 29, 1998 / 10:15 PM. He said that, in cases of a damaged heart, the cause is often never discovered. 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. Jordan retreated to the visitor's locker room shaking his head. Martina Navratilova made the final of the Paris womens open with a 6-1, 6-3, victory over Leila Meshki. Get directions, important phone numbers, locations and more. The lawyer denied the allegation. Lemieux punched Brett Lindros on Sunday while the New York Islander right wing was pinned against the boards. The story of how Reggie Lewis is one of the most heartbreaking stories you will ever hear. Thats because they understood who I was up against. Printouts from a test that illuminates how blood moves through the heart prominently showed three black patches - dead spots - on the left ventricle. "Reggie and I were really close friends," Derrick Lewis said. 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. When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it., We lost All-Star Reggie Lewis 29 years ago today. In older patients, dead tissue might indicate damage from arteriosclerosis, abnormal thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries. Recent media reports have raised questions about whether drug use weakened his heart. The Detroit Pistons rejected a trade for Sacramento center Duane Causwell, saying he failed to pass a physical examination because of an unspecified problem. It was considered career-ending. Reggie had no choice but to learn to wait on greatness. A lot of people get exposed to it, and it's unusual for it to attack the heart muscle, but it can happen," said Dr. Michael Gold, director of cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "He had success against Jordan in other games, too," Shaw said. Indeed, Lewis had fainted during a game a few months before, prompting a much-publicized debate on his heart health and foreshadowing his death. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. As a rookie, Lewis played sporadically, averaging 8.3 minutes per game under coach K. C. Jones. "Players tried to intimidate him, make it personal. . Lewis was diagnosed with "focal cardiomyopathy", a disease of the heart muscle that can cause irregular heartbeat and heart failure. Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported that, according to the autopsy report, Lewis died of myocarditis, an inflammation of heart muscle tissue. Lewis was clean "in every way possible," Brown said. He was popular for being a Basketball Player. "For something like this to come out to just tarnish an image, it doesn't even have to be true. 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. 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. "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. The Johns Hopkins team of more than 70 includes cardiologists, medical residents, nurses, ultrasound technicians, administrative assistants and community volunteers. 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. 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. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. "He was a model citizen. "The Celtics are saddened by the vicious attack on Reggie Lewis and his family.". . It was not much different behind the scenes, according to the Journal. 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. Two Brandeis University police officers found Lewis and attempted to revive him using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but they were unsuccessful. If you know that somebodyused cocaine, you might think that caused it, but they might have heart damage for another reason," Dr. Gottlieb said. 35 jersey was retired by the Celtics, making him one of only two Celtics to have a retired number without winning a championship with the team, the other player being Ed Macauley. The next time, he became concerned. [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. A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. 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. They've found nothing, because there is nothing to find. 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. 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). Over his four years at Northeastern, Lewis scored 2,708 points, still the all-time record at the university. 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. They knew Reggie Lewis was no slouch. Andy Neuer won his first Professional Bowlers Assn. That clause was never invoked in Mr. Lewis' case, despite the mounting medical evidence, the Journal said. We'd been pressing him about cocaine for days," Dr. Thomas Nessa, who was leading the medical team, told the Journal. "Reggie was hard to stop," Bird said. Shortly after the doctors' assessments were related to Lewis and his wife, the player checked himself out of Baptist Hospital and was admitted to nearby Brigham and Women's, where he underwent additional tests. } But two top heart experts in Baltimore disagreed. After breaking the Northeastern scoring record, he was drafted 22nd by the Boston Celtics but played only 8.3 minutes a game in his 1987-88, his rookie season. 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. Chang will face Paul Haarhuis, who has never won a singles title, in the final. 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. He left having scored 17 points in 13 minutes. 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. Trending News "He was on his way," Bird noted. He died too young, too soon, under murky circumstances that left more questions than answers. But they could not test the Celtics captain for drugs because Lewis initially refused, and Lewis had not been tested recently by the NBA because league policies prevented the testing of veterans without reasonable cause, the Journal said. 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. That was about it. [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. 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, 67 and 195 pounds, the top scorer and center for the Boston Celtics, had suddenly collapsed and died during basketball shoot-around. Reggie Lewis's death still hurts, 20 years later. "Indeed, since Reggie's death, local and out-of-town reporters have combed our campus for evidence of drug use or association by Reggie. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? The Big Three dominated throughout the 1980s, but age and injuries took their toll, forcing the three out of Boston. Dr. Stanton Kessler, the deputy medical examiner, told the Journal that he stood by his findings. He didn't do it.". What Killed Reggie Lewis? That came from Gilbert H. Mudge, director of clinical cardiology at a Harvard teaching hospital, who said Lewis suffered from a benign neurological disorder. Discover what's to love about Charm City for yourself. 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. To the naked eye, nothing betrays the macabre spot where Reggie Lewis, their team captain and gentle star, collapsed while shooting baskets on July 27, soon to be dead. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Was he going left or right? Lewis was selected to play in his first and only NBA All-Star Game held in Orlando, Florida in 1992. 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. "Reggie was on his way to being something really special. 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A report in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, however, said the doctors kept silent about their suspicions under influence from the Celtics and Mr. Lewis' family, who stood to lose millions of dollars if his illness was linked to drugs. He made his way back onto the court later in the game but quickly came back to the bench after experiencing dizziness. Doctors who reviewed the records agree that cocaine did not kill basketball player Reggie Lewis, the state's chief medical examiner said yesterday. 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. display: none; 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. 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. Haarhuis defeated Jaime Yzaga, 6-3, 6-3. . "When Reggie first came into the league," Bird told me, "he really didn't know how to play the game. 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. 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. "[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.