Leonard Kevin Bias, an American collegiate basketball player who attended the University of Maryland, was born on November 18, 1963. He was a first-team All-American for Maryland during his four years on the squad.
On June 19, 1986, two days after being picked with the second overall choice in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, Bias died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by a cocaine overdose.
Overview
Bias was born and reared in the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Maryland. James Bias Jr. and Dr. Lonise Bias had four children together. He had two brothers, Eric and James III, and a sister, Michelle.
Bias is a graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, and hails from Landover, Maryland.
He received his education at the University of Maryland. Bias was described as “raw and unruly” as a freshman, yet he went on to become an All-American. He was selected ACC Player of the Year after leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring his junior year.
His senior season was highlighted by a 35-point performance in an overtime win over top-ranked North Carolina, including seven in the final three minutes of regulation and four in overtime.
Bias won his second ACC Player of the Year title and was nominated to two All-America teams at the end of the season.
Bias wowed basketball fans with his incredible leaping ability, physical height, and playmaking skill, and was regarded as one of the most dynamic players in the country.
Scouts from many National Basketball Association teams regarded Bias as the most complete forward in the 1986 class by his senior year. Bias was compared to Michael Jordan by Celtics scout Ed Badger, who described him as a “explosive and dynamic kind of player.”
Len Bias early years in NBA
Bias is a Maryland native who chose to attend the University of Maryland following high school. He was a four-year starter at Maryland, where he developed into one of the best players in collegiate basketball.
Bias averaged 7.1 points per game as a freshman, appearing in 30 games and starting 13 of them. Over the next three seasons, Bias’ output increased.
Bias became a starter for Maryland in his sophomore season, averaging 15.3 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field. Bias, who stands 6-foot-9, made the most of his stature.
He was able to score in a variety of ways and quickly established himself as one of the top players in college basketball.
Bias was chosen to the First-Team All-ACC team as a junior, and he was also voted ACC Player of the Year. He averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game during the season. His junior year, he was also named to the Consensus second-team All-American team.
Bias was confident going into his senior season that he would have another excellent season, and he did. Bias was voted ACC Player of the Year for the second straight season as a senior, and he was chosen to the first-team All-ACC squad once more. As a senior, Bias was a consensus first-team All-American and the ACC Athlete of the Year.
Bias was predicted to be a top choice in the 1986 draft after a great college season. He was about to begin his NBA career and realize a lifelong goal that few people get to experience.
Bias was a significant deal for the Boston Celtics. He was described as an explosive player by Celtics scout Ed Badger at the time, who compared him to Michael Jordan. He was a foregone conclusion that he would be a first-round choice.
The Boston Celtics selected him with the second overall choice in the 1986 draft. The Celtics were eager for Bias to join the club and contribute right away. Fans in Boston were ecstatic to watch Bias perform.
Bias realized he was going to follow his dream of playing in the NBA a few days after the NBA draft. When he got back to Maryland, he went back to school to see some of his teammates and friends.
On the evening of Thursday, June 19, 1986, Bias attended a late-night event off-campus. He and a few of his college teammates were dealing with cocaine and swallowing it into their systems.
Bias apparently passed out and had a seizure, leaving him unconscious and unable to breathe. Doctors tried everything they could to save him when he arrived at the hospital, but they were unable to save him.
Bias died just days after the Celtics drafted him.
It will never be known how successful Bias could have been in the NBA. It was a pity that his life had been ripped away from him so abruptly because he was a person with so much potential.
In the sporting world, his untimely death will be remembered forever. He could have given Michael Jordan a run for his money if he had lived to play in the NBA.
One of the greatest NBA players
Len Bias has been referred to as “the greatest player who never played in the NBA.”
Bias, a 6-foot-8 forward at the University of Maryland who exhibited Michael Jordan-like quickness and desire despite being two inches taller, was undoubtedly one of the greatest collegiate players ever.
The Boston Celtics selected Bias with the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers had taken Brad Daugherty first overall the year before.
The 1986 team had just won a championship with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, and Danny Ainge on the roster. Bill Walton, who was getting on in years, came off the bench.
Bias would have provided the Celtics with an incredibly gifted big man off the bench right away, a forward who could back up and play alongside the team’s Hall of Fame frontcourt. Bird was overjoyed.
However, Bias died of a cocaine overdose less than 24 hours after the Celtics picked him. It was a party that swiftly devolved into chaos. For years to come, bias was projected to be a Jordan-like force.
Len Bias drug addiction
Leonard Bias, an outstanding All-American basketball player at the University of Maryland, died tragically from a cocaine overdose.
Bias was picked #2 overall in the 1986 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics when he was 22 years old. But he died just two days later.
Bias was on campus at the University of Maryland with pals two nights following the draft. He was celebrating his draft success and promising future.
Bias was a nationally renowned talent at the time. Many people in the basketball world compared him to Michael Jordan. Although it was unclear whether Bias was a regular drug user, he used cocaine in his hostel that night.
He consumed cocaine, which disrupted the usual electrical control of his heartbeat, resulting in seizures and cardiac arrest. Only cocaine was found in his system, with no other narcotics or alcohol.
Given the strange and unexpected nature of his death, local and national populations were stunned.
Bias was a young man in excellent health, with no history of heart disease or circulation difficulties. He was not only healthy. He was also in excellent physical condition, standing 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds.
His death was a shock as well as a reminder that cocaine is a terrible drug. A user of cocaine, regardless of how much or how often they take it, might suffer from acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies. Such as a heart attack or stroke, which can result in rapid death.
As in the instance of Len Bias, cocaine-related deaths are frequently the result of cardiac arrest.
Len Bias net worth
The Boston Celtics selected him second overall in 1986. He was widely regarded as the most talented player to emerge from the NCAA since
According to Forbes, the great basketball player Len Bias had a net worth of $1-5 million before his death. As a professional basketball player, he earned the money.
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