31 Years After the Death of Len Bias

After the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Brian Daugherty it was a no brainer. Boston practically ran up to the podium in order to select a forward from Maryland named Len Bias.

I know everyone is really caught up in the blockbuster trade that went down over the weekend. In case you missed it, the Celtics swapped the 1st overall pick for the Sixers 3rd along with an additional first rounder. This is important don’t get be wrong, but what happened 31 years from yesterday is much more significant.

It was 1986. The Celtics were coming off their 16th NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets. While the C’s looked to be on top of the world, they had a situation to address. Age. The team was getting older and Red Auerbach knew he had to make a trade for youth. Someone to take the reins after Bird is long and gone. So, he traded to get the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.

Bias was everything you dream of in an NBA prospect. He was big at 6’9, 210 pounds with the body of a greek god. He could jump out of the gym and he had a silky smooth jump shot. Believe it or not, he was most commonly compared to Michael Jordan.

"…In scouting reports, it is customary to make player comparisons. Our basic report characterized Bias as a ‘Michael Jordan type who was bigger, with a better jump shot, but who didn’t go to the basket as well.’ “- unnamed scout"

Can you imagine that? A version of MJ accept with a better jump shot? It seems absurd to think someone could actually be better than the great one. Well, believe it.

The two stars actually dueled once in college when Maryland took on North Carolina. In that battle,  UNC actually defeated Maryland, but Bias made his mark. He outscored Jordan 24 to 21 and opened the debate to who was the better player (the highlights of the game is below).

Mike Krzyzweski, the legendary coach of Duke University, spoke to The Boston Globe’s Rob Ryan about the two players in 2003.

"“This is my 24th year at Duke, and in that time there have been two opposing players who have really stood out: Michael Jordan and Len Bias. Len was an amazing athlete with great competitiveness. My feeling is that he would have been one of the top players in the NBA. He created things. People associate the term “playmaking” with point guards. But I consider a playmaker as someone who can do things others can’t, the way Jordan did. Bias was like that. He could invent ways to score, and there was nothing you could do about it. No matter how you defended him, he could make a play.”"

His number while at Maryland highlight his ability to score at will. In his senior year he averaged 23.2 points per game, 7 rebounds per game while shooting 54.4% from the field. He was poised to be an offensive juggernaut in the NBA, but it never came to be.

On June 19th, 1986 Len Bias was with friends celebrating his selection by the Celtics. During this celebration, Bias decided to use cocaine. The cocaine he was given was reported by the Los Angeles Times as being “an unusually pure dose.” Dr. John E. Smialek said that it interrupted the normal beating of his heart resulting in numerous seizures and heart attacks. Minutes after ingesting the drug his heart stopped. When paramedics arrived at the scene they attempted to revive Bias, but to not avail. Len Bias passed away at the young age of 22.

It’s a truly heartbreaking tale. A young man who climbed to the peak of his basketball career suddenly had it snatched from him. Who knows what could of been if he had lived? The Celtics could have been able to beat the Lakers in the 1987 finals. Jordan may not have won 6 championships. The Celtics may not have gone through a 22 year title drought. And there may have may have been a different player we refer to as the greatest of all time.

Next: The Celtics Need to Go All in on a Big Man

Unfortunately, all it will ever be is bunch of “what ifs.” One thing’s for sure, the world got robbed out of truly specular talent and man.