What is evident: The official cause of death, a heart damaged by a common-cold virus, is a medically nonsensical finding by a coroner who was under intense pressure from the Lewis family to exclude any implication of drug use. A lawyer for Lewis' family denied the allegation, the article said. Hookailo said defense attorneys have rejected Northeastern's compromise. That clause was never invoked in Mr. Lewis' case, despite the mounting medical evidence, the Journal said. I was trying to take advantage of his passive demeanor, but he didn't back down. Boston went 32-50 in its first season without its best player. The Journal quoted a doctor who consulted on the autopsy as saying that a lawyer for Lewis' family threatened to sue if anything came out about drugs. They knew Reggie Lewis was no slouch. From 1988-93, he was 1 of 6 players to post 7.5K PTS, 1.5K REBS, 1K ASTS & 500 STLS. The block surprised Jordan, whose otherworldly elevation usually negated any chance of a rejected shot. That was it.". He just came to play. October 19, 2022 by Robin. 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. In recent times, Reggie Lewis's death was surfed by many individuals. At issue was concern for his reputation and the financial interests of his family and the team, the newspaper said. In spite of Jordan's poor shooting in that epic March 31 battle, the Bulls still led by three in the waning seconds. Lewis started all 82 games and shot better than 50% from the floor that season. Lewis denied using drugs. Defense, they understood, was a paramount part of that conversation. "A lot of people just knew Reggie as a basketball player, but the guys on the team knew him off the court," he said. We'll deal with that in time.". The Journal said these "dismissive policies regarding drugs may have affected human behavior and medical procedure in a fatal fashion.". It was not much different behind the scenes, according to the Journal. Reggie Lewis was a professional basketball player who died suddenly at the age of 27. However, he later sought a second opinion from Dr. Gilbert Mudge at Brigham and Women's Hospital, who diagnosed Lewis with neurocardiogenic syncope, a less serious non-fatal condition instead. McHale followed the year after. 7 seed Lori McNeil, 6-3, 6-1. That's when Lewis came down and drilled a 3-pointer to tie it. "The Celtics are saddened by the vicious attack on Reggie Lewis and his family.". But the information presented regarding Reggie Lewis is true, and we found a . Jordan, who remained curious about the budding Celtics star, made a point to chat with him in the locker room. "He kept you off balance all the time. Shaw left the Celtics in 1994. "To me, this was an example of gutless journalism, yellow journalism -- based fully on a complete disregard for the truth. In older patients, dead tissue might indicate damage from arteriosclerosis, abnormal thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries. It also seemed an object lesson in the relativity of medical truth, and in . She also denied the Journal's report, attributed to his doctors, that her husband refused drug tests while hospitalized. Wade has lent his support and will join volunteers and heart disease experts from Johns Hopkins in Marylands only screening program to detect early signs of life-threatening heart abnormalities in student athletes. "The adenovirus 2 finding was wildly improbable," said Dr. Jeffrey Isner, the sole cardiologist who consulted on the autopsy. He said that, in cases of a damaged heart, the cause is often never discovered. I was trying to take advantage of his passive demeanor, but he didnt back down. "He had those long arms that really bothered me. . As far as Reggie using drugs, he never used any drugs, no kind of way, never in his lifetime did anything like that happen. 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. Andy Neuer won his first Professional Bowlers Assn. Goran Ivanisevic defeated Boris Becker, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Stefan Edberg beat Sergi Bruguera, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, to reach the Eurocard Open final at Stuttgart, Germany. In that March 31 game, as Jordan pulled up for his patented fallaway -- one of the most feared weapons in basketball -- Lewis waited patiently for MJ to launch himself, then stretched his arms and timed it so he deflected the ball just as Jordan released. A year after that epic battle with the Bulls, Reggie Lewis was chosen for his first All-Star Game. Since Reggie Lewis collapsed and died on a practice court in 1993, there have been rumors that the Boston Celtics star's death was . "[19][20] Also, Lewis's heart tissue tested positive for adenovirus during his autopsy. A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19 and subscribe to our YouTube channel. "We wish to try the case on the facts of Reggie Lewis' medical treatment," Harley told the Boston Herald. 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 launched jumpers for about an hour. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Lewis attended high school at Dunbar High School, where he played basketball alongside future NBA players Muggsy Bogues and David Wingate. The other five -- Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin -- are all Hall of Famers. The Wall Street Journal reported in 1995 that doctors at New England Baptist recommended Lewis be tested for cocaine. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed #inline-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { But as we know now, even top-flight athletes can have hidden heart disease.. His shocking death triggered unprecedented spasms of grief throughout Boston, where he left an indelible imprint on the inner-city kids he mentored, kids whose dreams were not unlike his own. ", Asked about a reported split with Tyson, promoter Don King said from his home in Florida: "There's no comment to make on that. "Basically, what the diagnosis comes down to is circumstantial evidence. Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below. Stanton C. Kessler, the associate chief medical examiner of Massachusetts who signed the death certificate, told the New York Times that a virus was found in Lewis heart and it caused myocarditis, an inflammation that scars and enlarges the heart. As a result, Lewis began working out in preparation for returning for the 1994 season. Jordan retreated to the visitor's locker room shaking his head. "And Reggie was the same way. We'd been pressing him about cocaine for days," Dr. Thomas Nessa, who was leading the medical team, told the Journal. December 29, 1998 / 10:15 PM / AP. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! 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. 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. It would be virtually impossible to prove it was cocaine that killed him.". When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it., We lost All-Star Reggie Lewis 29 years ago today. He left having scored 17 points in 13 minutes. "Players tried to intimidate him, make it personal. Lewis was told his condition was most likely career-ending. 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. He initially went unrecruited by most Division I programs -- except by dogged Northeastern coach Jim Calhoun, who saw something special in the slender, shy wing player. There are several thousand such sudden deaths per year in younger adults in the United States by some estimates. 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. An electrocardiogram, or EKG, to assess the hearts electrical rhythms will also be given. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He was 27. "It was so surprising, so sad. Shortly after Lewis' death, Dave Gavitt, then-Celtics senior executive vice president, doubted that Lewis had used the drug. Explore our state-of-the-art patient care facilities in the Sheikh Zayed Tower. "The defendants want to avoid facing their negligence, and to distract attention from the truth with lies and unfounded rumors.". The Celtics were looking to add some youth to the team, especially for the aging "Big 3" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. 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. Baptist Hospital, meanwhile, gathered a team of a dozen cardiologists from New England hospitals to review the case. 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. "I miss him," Shaw said. "Just waiting my turn.". His heart damage still could have been caused by a virus. Abraham will lead the Hopkins team on Saturday. Chang will face Paul Haarhuis, who has never won a singles title, in the final. What kind of legacy would he have carved out in a city that had already embraced him as one of its own? 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 . He was evolving into a superstar before our eyes. 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. Lewis was one of the exceptions. BOSTON - Reggie Lewis did not die as a result of cocaine use, according to a review of the Boston Celtics star's autopsy. (In an ironic twist, Rolando's son, Jeremy Lamb, would later play for Calhoun at UConn). 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 had my number that particular night. 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. 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. According to the Journal, the partnership found itself with a capital deficit of $28.1 million in the summer of 1993. "If there were suspicions, it was from discussions outside of the autopsy.". "Oh, I remember it well," Jordan laughed. According to depositions, Lewis and his teammate Andre LeFleur first delayed taking a school-administered drug test. The lawyer denied the allegation. They shared an agent, bought their houses at the same time, picked out new BMWs just days apart. However, the U.S. Olympic team does not require physical exams for its competing athletes, but instead offers voluntary cardiac screening. It was considered career-ending. He loved it. Lewis died at age 27 after he collapsed while shooting baskets. In addition, Mr. Lewis was born with a heart murmur, which. Doctors who examined the late Boston Celtics player Reggie Lewis say they believed his heart quite likely was damaged by cocaine before the former Dunbar High basketball star collapsed and died of . As the trio got older, Lewis got better. "Michael would have 37 and Reggie would have 32, so all the talk was about MJ, but Reggie was right there.". The autopsy found the heart "abnormal, enlarged and extensively scarred," but there was no trace of 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. 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. Though his cause of death was later determined to be cardiac arrhythmia, at the time of his death, there was speculation that he had been using performance-enhancing drugs. He stumbled to his feet and was dazed and confused. Fellow Celtic Larry Bird had high praise for Lewis's work ethic. "Furthermore, there is no conceivable way that the NBA's anti-drug program had anything to do with the issue of whether Reggie Lewis was tested or could have been tested upon his admission to the hospital," Granik said. [citation needed], On March 22, 1995, the Boston Celtics retired Lewis' jersey. 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. 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. 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. "It was clear the expectations for Reggie were very high at that time," Jordan said. After he collapsed last April in a playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets, his condition became a highly publicized medical dispute among Boston doctors. 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. 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. Like everyone on the Celtics, Lewis teammate Rick Fox took the news hard. He didn't do it.". Utah was 3-0 against bowl teams last fall. -- Conchita Martinez, the defending champion and No. This article was compiled by Sun staff writer Frank D. Roylance, with reporting by staff writers Diana Sugg and Mike Preston and Ken Rosenthal and contributing writer Ian Browne. The extra adrenalin is like poison to the heart. "But he was a worker. 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 . He shot the ball. 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. He was popular for being a Basketball Player. They often found out differently when he stripped the ball from them or sent their jump shot into the seats. Any and all proceeds will go to the Reggie Lewis Foundation.". A heart arrhythmia . This years event sponsor is Philips Healthcare, based in Andover, Mass. 'Irrational confidence', Stars pay tribute to Stephen Curry after 50-point NBA playoff game, Which teams will reach the NBA conference finals? They faced a public relations nightmare. 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. He was just 27. Martina Navratilova made the final of the Paris womens open with a 6-1, 6-3, victory over Leila Meshki. "I miss the closeness of having a friend who was going through the same things as me. ", 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.". Then, there were the financial interests. "Reggie and I were really close friends," Derrick Lewis said. However, Dr. Baughman of Johns Hopkins said that through new molecular techniques, pathologists should have been able to test Mr. Lewis' heart tissue for remnants of the virus. Had Reggie Lewis lived, would there have been additional battles with Jordan to add to the highlight reel? 1998 The Associated Press. Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, denied today that he refused to take a drug test and said he didn't use drugs. When he finally stood up and headed for the bench, he looked perplexed -- and frightened. "What is undeniable: Cocaine was a central, explosive issue for the doctors, the Lewis family, the Celtics and the pathologists who conducted his November 1993 autopsy - an issue that became untouchable because Mr. Lewis was a basketball superstar," the newspaper said. Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine. If you know that somebodyused cocaine, you might think that caused it, but they might have heart damage for another reason," Dr. Gottlieb said. The death certificate is expected to help clarify Lewis case. "He was showing us older guys respect," Jordan said, "but he also knew he belonged.". -- The Pittsburgh Penguins demoted 1991 first-round draft choice Markus Naslund to Cleveland of the International Hockey League. The failed physical means that center Olden Polynice and forward David Wood return to Detroit. His Northeastern teams won the ECAC North all four seasons and played in the NCAA men's basketball tournament every year. "This was something any third-year resident could have seen," said Dr. Charles Munn, the hospital's staff radiologist. He also said he experienced guilt. "He was a tough matchup," Jordan said. [1] At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. Navratilova will play Julie Halard, who beat Katerina Maleeva. * 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. 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. Lewis sat, dazed, on the court. He had received conflicting diagnoses regarding his condition and was advised not to exercise strenuously. He consistently raised his level of play during the postseason, averaging as many as 28.0 points per game in the 1991-92 playoffs. I got clearance to shoot again. The Johns Hopkins team of more than 70 includes cardiologists, medical residents, nurses, ultrasound technicians, administrative assistants and community volunteers. "[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. "I was in Chicago when I got the news," Jordan said. They even went out and bought life insurance policies together. Lewis blocked Jordan four times in that game and harassed him into a 12-for-36 shooting performance. [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 African-Americans are more vulnerable, with two to three times the rate of sudden cardiac death than in whites. The Celtics selected Lewis with the 22nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. 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. All Rights Reserved. Vaccines & Boosters | Testing | Visitor Guidelines | Coronavirus. The Baltimore native was cut from his public high school team, rescued by famed Dunbar coach Bob Wade, but then asked to be a high school sixth man. 1998 The Associated Press. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Northeastern, Lewis' alma mater, is reluctant to turn over the results of the internal investigation. The Big Three dominated throughout the 1980s, but age and injuries took their toll, forcing the three out of Boston. On a warm July afternoon in 1993, Reggie Lewis went with a friend to Brandeis University to shoot baskets. MJ was the best player in the game, the perfect measuring stick for a young player trying to establish credibility. [21], After Lewis' death, the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center was opened in Roxbury, Boston. 18. More than 110,000 high school students in Maryland are active in sports, and, according to Abraham, the stress of athletic competition poses ultra-dangerous risks to those who have inherited tendencies to develop overly enlarged and thickened hearts, hypertrophic cardiomyopathies, or similar abnormalities. He called me literally the day he died, and I was at Jordans Furniture remember Jordans Furniture? display: block; He died when several different problems caused . No, nobody did, Jordan said. During the ceremony, former teammate Dee Brown made a speech while two other former teammates, Sherman Douglas and Xavier McDaniel, held up Lewis' framed jersey. This need became more urgent after Len Bias, the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, died of a cocaine overdose.[5]. 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. 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 was very aware of the problems drugs could bring. 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. . Meanwhile, the Journal reported, the Celtics' chief operating officer at the time, David R. Gavitt, was telling doctors that NBA rules prevented them from forcing Mr. Lewis to submit to drug testing. I was getting some furniture, and he said, Hey man, I got clearance to play. 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. He died too young, too soon, under murky circumstances that left more questions than answers. [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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The news of Lewis's untimely and unexpected death left a long-lasting hole in the Boston community and the sports world as a whole. [4], Lewis was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA draft. His uniform number was retired and hangs in tribute in Matthews Arena (the home of Northeastern University's men's basketball team and the Celtics' original home arena in 1946). 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. As a Celtic, he and his family lived in Dedham, Massachusetts. .. Doctors who examined the late Boston Celtics player Reggie Lewis say they believed his heart quite likely was damaged by cocaine before the former Dunbar High basketball star collapsed and died of heart failure near Boston in 1993. That's one reason why he never used drugs. "There's simply no hard science, no evidence," linking the virus to the condition that killed Lewis. 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. 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. Since Reggie Lewis collapsed and died on a practice court in 1993, there have been rumors that the Boston Celtics star's death was fueled by cocaine use. } As a rookie, Lewis played sporadically, averaging 8.3 minutes per game under coach K. C. Jones. I firmly believe that this is certainly a part of this article.". 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. McBride's 1994 Utes tied the school record with eight straight wins, finishing 10-2. He played 15 minutes, scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. When Reggie Lewis, the popular captain of basketball's most storied team, collapsed while shooting baskets and died of heart failure, the city of Boston treated him like a fallen hero. His relative youth, his dedication, and his clear potential made his death all the more poignant. These players have a higher than normal risk of sudden, potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbances or cardiac arrest, he says. "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 possibility of another one existed when the torch was passed to Reggie Lewis. 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. -- 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.
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