Yesterday marked the 25th Anniversary of the death of Len Bias. Many don’t know who Len Bias was, and to me that’s the shame of the entire matter.
Len Bias was the best college basketball player in 1986, and on the verge of going to the NBA and dominating. He was a freakish athlete. Imagine this. The size of Lebron, the hops of Jordan, and the shooting touch of Bird.
If you think I’m exaggerating ask Michael Wilbon, Tony Kornheiser, James Brown, and the like. He was a can’t miss prospect. He would have gone to the NBA and averaged 20, 8, and 5 in his first year.
The crazy thing about the NBA was that the Boston Celtics, who had just won the 1986 NBA championship, had maneuvered to get a chance at drafting Bias. They used the high draft pick they had and drafted Bias. He would have played alongside; Bird, McHale, Parrish. They would have been unstoppable.
Let’s play the what-if games for a moment. If Bias had lived another 10 years these occurrences would have been highly probable.
No attempt at a three-peat for Magic and the Showtime Lakers.
No repeat for Isiah and the Bad Boy Pistons.
No 1st three-peat for Jordan, and the Bull.
No Jordan retirement in 93’.
No repeat for Olajuwon, and the Rockets.
Bill Russell, not Jordan, would still be widely considered the G.O.A.T.
Unfortunately Bias didn’t live past June 19, 1986. I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news. I had just finished 8th grade and summer break was about 3 days old. I was lying in bed thinking about going downstairs to make my breakfast of champions (Sugar Smacks, and Pop-Tarts).
I was also thinking about a conversation I had the night before with one of my buddies. I’m a huge 76ers fan, and Bias had just been drafted by the archrival Celtics. I had watched Bias the last 3 years, and I knew he was great. My buddy was a Celtics fan, and he kept saying the Celtic were going to dominate the 76ers now. I tried to argue with him, but knew in my heart he was right.
On the morning of the 19th my buddy called while I was still in bed thinking about Sugar Smacks. He told me Bias had died. Had to be a practical joke right? But I heard the seriousness in his voice. He told me to turn on the news. I ran downstairs, turned the TV on, and there it was. It’s was a nightmare. I just broke into tears. I couldn’t contain myself. It didn’t matter what team I was a fan of, in that moment, I was a fan of life, and I felt like we all were being cheated. I was a 14-year old kid that idolized a 22-year old basketball player.
Len Bias was the best college basketball player in 1986, and on the verge of going to the NBA and dominating. He was a freakish athlete. Imagine this. The size of Lebron, the hops of Jordan, and the shooting touch of Bird.
If you think I’m exaggerating ask Michael Wilbon, Tony Kornheiser, James Brown, and the like. He was a can’t miss prospect. He would have gone to the NBA and averaged 20, 8, and 5 in his first year.
The crazy thing about the NBA was that the Boston Celtics, who had just won the 1986 NBA championship, had maneuvered to get a chance at drafting Bias. They used the high draft pick they had and drafted Bias. He would have played alongside; Bird, McHale, Parrish. They would have been unstoppable.
Let’s play the what-if games for a moment. If Bias had lived another 10 years these occurrences would have been highly probable.
No attempt at a three-peat for Magic and the Showtime Lakers.
No repeat for Isiah and the Bad Boy Pistons.
No 1st three-peat for Jordan, and the Bull.
No Jordan retirement in 93’.
No repeat for Olajuwon, and the Rockets.
Bill Russell, not Jordan, would still be widely considered the G.O.A.T.
Unfortunately Bias didn’t live past June 19, 1986. I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news. I had just finished 8th grade and summer break was about 3 days old. I was lying in bed thinking about going downstairs to make my breakfast of champions (Sugar Smacks, and Pop-Tarts).
I was also thinking about a conversation I had the night before with one of my buddies. I’m a huge 76ers fan, and Bias had just been drafted by the archrival Celtics. I had watched Bias the last 3 years, and I knew he was great. My buddy was a Celtics fan, and he kept saying the Celtic were going to dominate the 76ers now. I tried to argue with him, but knew in my heart he was right.
On the morning of the 19th my buddy called while I was still in bed thinking about Sugar Smacks. He told me Bias had died. Had to be a practical joke right? But I heard the seriousness in his voice. He told me to turn on the news. I ran downstairs, turned the TV on, and there it was. It’s was a nightmare. I just broke into tears. I couldn’t contain myself. It didn’t matter what team I was a fan of, in that moment, I was a fan of life, and I felt like we all were being cheated. I was a 14-year old kid that idolized a 22-year old basketball player.
I lost my innocence that day, and the world lost a great basketball talent. In my opinion, all due respect to Marcus DuPree, Len Bias is “the best that never was.”
Rest in Peace #34.
Rest in Peace #34.
