30 Years ago today, at 8:50 A.M.: Boston Celtics draft pick Len Bias is pronounced dead after a drug overdose.

[Enfuego]

Still a damn shame.

 

[KingEleven]

 

[KingEleven]

I think he'd be like 53 today. Crazy.

 

[MikeB]

Wow, can't believe it's been 30 years

 

[clowncar]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug. And yet another young life that was snuffed out by illicit drug use. Great collegiate player.

 

[TheComputerGroup]

I was at Ocean City Maryland with a group of friends & we were playing football in the evening on the beach when we learned about his death back then.

 

[Blutarski]

I wonder how many additional championships Boston would have won if he lived. Bias, Bird, Mchale, Parrish, DJ and Walton, wow!

 

[SoCal]

I attended NC State 1985, 1986, 1987. As students, we would sleep out for tickets to get the best possible student section tix. We had AWESOME seats when Lenny Bias came to town. Jimmy Valvano was coaching the Wolfpack, Vinny Del Negro, Checky Brown, Charles Shakleford, Nate mcMillian on the floor... this was great ACC basketball !! Anyway... our crew was giving Len Bias a hard time for much of the game. Including one guy in our crew that just kept yelling "BIASSSS !!! " as if he was just calling his name to get Bias to look our way.. which he was. So anyway, Bias finally looks over to give our guy a split second of attention. Our guy then just says.. "YOU SUCK" while Bias is looking at him. We all got a kick out of that. mission accomplished. We got him to look our way and told him he sucked. LOL

Fast Fwd to late game action, about 45 minutes after we told him he sucked... Bias is taking over. At one point there is a flurry of action which ends with a thunderous dunk from Bias which tilts the game momentum towards his team. After the dunk Lenny circles up the floor and comes jogging by us. Taking us by surprise, he covertly gives us the finger and smiles at us in a friendly, "take THAT" type of way. Nobody was mad. It was a very cool moment actually. And in fact, although we didn't root for him at all, we instantly liked the guy for playing our game within the game.

Bias was a monster. Incredible player. Loved seeing him play

 

[Piantini]

I attended NC State 1985, 1986, 1987. As students, we would sleep out for tickets to get the best possible student section tix. We had AWESOME seats when Lenny Bias came to town. Jimmy Valvano was coaching the Wolfpack, Vinny Del Negro, Checky Brown, Charles Shakleford, Nate mcMillian on the floor... this was great ACC basketball !! Anyway... our crew was giving Len Bias a hard time for much of the game. Including one guy in our crew that just kept yelling "BIASSSS !!! " as if he was just calling his name to get Bias to look our way.. which he was. So anyway, Bias finally looks over to give our guy a split second of attention. Our guy then just says.. "YOU SUCK" while Bias is looking at him. We all got a kick out of that. mission accomplished. We got him to look our way and told him he sucked. LOL

Fast Fwd to late game action, about 45 minutes after we told him he sucked... Bias is taking over. At one point there is a flurry of action which ends with a thunderous dunk from Bias which tilts the game momentum towards his team. After the dunk Lenny circles up the floor and comes jogging by us. Taking us by surprise, he covertly gives us the finger and smiles at us in a friendly, "take THAT" type of way. Nobody was mad. It was a very cool moment actually. And in fact, although we didn't root for him at all, we instantly liked the guy for playing our game within the game.

Bias was a monster. Incredible player. Loved seeing him play

That's a Great Story! Thank You ! Still have a heavy heart every time I think of Lenny. That was also the end of Lefty at Maryland ! PS Can anyone realistically imagine Bird and Bias passing to each other? How sad! Thanks again for the story SoCal!