* The Celtics at the time were deeply in debt and in the midst of negotiations to sell a television station. The preliminary autopsy found that Lewis' heart was "abnormal, enlarged and extensively scarred" and that "preliminary drug screenings show no evidence of drug abuse.". The autopsy did not reveal evidence of cocaine, which would be difficult to detect after more than three days, and without other evidence of drug use it could not be listed as a cause of death, the doctors said. "[19][20] Also, Lewis's heart tissue tested positive for adenovirus during his autopsy. The other 5 are NBA legends: Barkley, Drexler, Jordan, Karl Malone & Mullin pic.twitter.com/1RbXJGIuDp. Virus Damaged Heart, Lewis' Autopsy Finds - Los Angeles Times The story of how Reggie Lewis is one of the most heartbreaking stories you will ever hear. He became an NBA All-Star during the 1991-92 season when he averaged 20.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. Had Reggie Lewis lived, would there have been additional battles with Jordan to add to the highlight reel? "We wish to try the case on the facts of Reggie Lewis' medical treatment," Harley told the Boston Herald. Just ask Michael Jordan. Autopsy results found Lewis had a large, extensively scarred heart, and the cause of that scar tissue is still not known. It has been 25 years to the day since Lewis collapsed while shooting baskets at Brandeis University and died from heart failure at a nearby hospital on July 27, 1993. 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. A lot of people get exposed to it, and it's unusual for it to attack the heart muscle, but it can happen," said Dr. Michael Gold, director of cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The Tragic Death Of Reggie Lewis - Grunge I got clearance to shoot again. "There will absolutely be no Q-and-A. Jordan, who remained curious about the budding Celtics star, made a point to chat with him in the locker room. 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. His relative youth, his dedication, and his clear potential made his death all the more poignant. [citation needed], Lewis' contract remained on the Celtics' salary cap for two full seasons after his death because at the time the NBA did not have a provision to void contracts if an active player died; NBA Commissioner David Stern suggested that the remaining NBA teams should approve an exemption for Lewis' contract, but the teams refused to do so. Twenty years later, Boston still aches for him and still wonders what might have been. They shouldn't bother. "No, nobody did," Jordan said. [4], Lewis was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA draft. 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. A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. 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 was just 27. If Jordans Furniture wasnt so far away, I probably wouldve been there that day and may have been able to maybe get him over to the hospital.. He left the game having scored 17 points in 13 minutes of action in what turned out to be his final NBA game. When you have the skills to break someone down on defense and you can't, it makes you tentative offensively.". Twenty years later, we still ponder what might have been. "Looking down, (Dr. Kessler) told the group there had been legal threats made by the Lewis family and that he was bound by Massachusetts law not to discuss the case," the Journal reported. 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 evolving into a superstar before our eyes. Because Lewis was so understated off the floor, opponents mistakenly figured he lacked the killer instinct. A bad back forced Bird into early retirement in 1992. The next time, he became concerned. Martina Navratilova made the final of the Paris womens open with a 6-1, 6-3, victory over Leila Meshki. The NBA's drug policy, however, does not allow its veteran players to be tested for drugs without probable cause. They were unable to determine which diagnosis was correct, but wanted Lewis monitored closely. Lewis was selected to play in his first and only NBA All-Star Game held in Orlando, Florida in 1992. He consistently raised his level of play during the postseason, averaging as many as 28.0 points per game in the 1991-92 playoffs. Such scarring also might be caused by poison, medications, alcohol or infection. 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. The newspaper said Dr. Kessler's office is under investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner's office. He was 27. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { In Boston, A Tragic Death Is Re-Examined - Newsweek Report: Doctors Suspected That Cocaine Killed Celtics' Lewis It was the first and only trey he attempted all night. There was insurance coverage of more than $15 million that could be paid to the Lewis family and the Celtics only if there was no link to drugs. Would he shake you with that explosive first step and attack the rim, or would he suddenly pull up after one devastating dribble and hoist his trademark praying mantis jumper? } He launched jumpers for about an hour. Lewis was clean "in every way possible," Brown said. But he abruptly left their care to get another opinion. He died when several different problems caused his enlarged heart to beat irregularly, said Evans, repeating the finding on the athlete's death certificate. The death of Reggie Lewis, Boston Celtic captain, was the result of a viral infection severely damaging his heart, leaving him vulnerable to the kind of abnormal heart rhythm that killed him last July, according to his death certificate. "When Reggie first came into the league," Bird told me, "he really didn't know how to play the game. . It also left the Celtics without a star. The newspaper said Lewis' death couldn't have come at a worse time for the publicly traded company that owns the NBA team, the Celtics Limited Partnership. * Mr. Lewis' new doctors concluded that his problem was a benign fainting condition, requiring only tests and close monitoring. The autopsy found the heart "abnormal, enlarged and extensively scarred," but there was no trace of drugs. 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. The Tragic Story Of Reggie Lewis: A Microcosm Of The NBA's Problems We'd been pressing him about cocaine for days," Dr. Thomas Nessa, who was leading the medical team, told the Journal. 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. Hookailo said that the university has already handed over hundreds of pages of documents, including Lewis' medical records, to lawyers on both sides of the case. display: none; 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. 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. Then-Northeastern team doctor, Dr. Job Fuchs, initially had told lawyers involved with the lawsuit that Lewis and LaFleur both tested positive in 1987. "The adenovirus 2 finding was wildly improbable," said Dr. Jeffrey Isner, the sole cardiologist who consulted on the autopsy. Marta Figueras-Dotti ended 11 years of frustration on the LPGA Tour with a victory in the Hawaiian Ladies Open at Ewa Beach. That also began a string of eight straight years without a winning record. "He kept you off balance all the time. 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. He played 15 minutes, scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. After he finally got up, he looked perplexed and dazed as he headed to the Celtics bench. Printouts from a test that illuminates how blood moves through the heart prominently showed three black patches - dead spots - on the left ventricle. The news of 27-year-old Reggie Lewis's fatal heart attack on Tuesday, July 27, hit the citizens of Boston and the basketball community as a whole like a blow to the solar plexussome kind of sudden pain that, in the . But authorities stopped short of saying Lewis didn't use drugs. "[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. The Tragic Death of NBA All-Star Reggie Lewis Shaped - Sportscasting 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. But as he was running down the left side of the parquet, he inexplicably stumbled, then fell. This speculation, combined with the fact that Lewis was . He just came to play. . The most frustrating thing is that so many athletes are seemingly unaware about the consequences of putting too much strain on their abnormal cardiac muscle during vigorous exercise, adds Abraham. "He was showing us older guys respect," Jordan said, "but he also knew he belonged.". The cause of the former Dunbar High School star's first fainting spell and his eventual death was the subject of public medical debate from the beginning. Doctors who reviewed the records agree that cocaine did not kill basketball player Reggie Lewis, the state's chief medical examiner said yesterday. He took himself away from dealers, or people who used drugs. 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. The Big Three dominated throughout the 1980s. His considerable skills were matched by a silent, patient resolve that served him well. "The Celtics are saddened by the vicious attack on Reggie Lewis and his family.". Philips is providing the 20 ultrasound machines and 15 electrocardiographs for EKG screening, plus supplies, needed for the event. Notice of Privacy Practices(Patients & Health Plan Members). [22] The rules have since been changed so that a similar case would result in a deceased player's contract being paid by league insurance.[23]. 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. Reggie Lewis's death shocked Boston and the Celtics Two other doctors who examined the heart, however, said they found scarring that they described as consistent with cocaine damage, the Journal reported. Northeastern, Lewis' alma mater, is reluctant to turn over the results of the internal investigation. 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 heart arrhythmia . } Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, denied today that he refused to take a drug test and said he didn't use drugs. "Reggie Lewis' death was not caused by cocaine ingestion, nor was the damage to the heart at all typical of that known to be caused by cocaine usage," Dr. Richard Evans said. Fellow Celtic Larry Bird had high praise for Lewis's work ethic. 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. Reggie Lewis Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 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. 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. "He had success against Jordan in other games, too," Shaw said. 1998 The Associated Press. Baltimore native Reggie Lewis was on his way to becoming an NBA legend when the young basketball star tragically collapsed on the court, leading to a death that shook the sports world. She also denied the Journal's report, attributed to his doctors, that her husband refused drug tests while hospitalized. 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. "Reggie knew what we meant. [1] At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, and his number was posthumously retired by the team. . Nobody ever gave Jordan any flak over his performance that night. Each athlete will receive a cardiac ultrasound, or echocardiogram, to measure heart size and its pumping function, including blood volume, and to check for faulty valves. He merely smiled and made a move to the basket. BOSTON - Reggie Lewis did not die as a result of cocaine use, according to a review of the Boston Celtics star's autopsy. He died when several different problems caused . 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. Experts estimate that one in 500 Americans has undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Oh, I remember it well, Jordan laughed, according to a 2013ESPNarticle. He spent a lot of time improving his game. [10] One of the officers was James Crowley. Lemieux punched Brett Lindros on Sunday while the New York Islander right wing was pinned against the boards. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . "So it comes down to detective work, depending on age of person and what else you see, you would make that determination. . Lewis's tragic death He saw it with his mother and how it ruined a lot of people's careers who came out of East Baltimore. McHale followed the year after. But African-Americans are more vulnerable, with two to three times the rate of sudden cardiac death than in whites. The newspaper's report offered no proof of cocaine abuse. "The purpose of the review was to establish the cause of death, not to establish whether Reggie Lewis ever used cocaine," state Public Safety Secretary Kathleen M. O'Toole said. It also seemed an object lesson in the relativity of medical truth, and in . 'It's going to be epic': Stephen Curry and LeBron James face off -- again, Curry sets G7 record with 50 as Dubs move on, Hobbled Butler serves as 'decoy' late in Heat win, Grizz's Brooks doesn't regret verbal jab at LeBron, 'This one's on me': Brunson self-critical after loss, Jokic on Murray's playoffs: 'We are following him', Rivers: Embiid likely doubtful for G1 vs. Celtics, How do Stephen Curry and the Warriors keep doing this?! [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. It was considered career-ending. Navratilova will play Julie Halard, who beat Katerina Maleeva. Like everyone on the Celtics, Lewis teammate Rick Fox took the news hard. On Nov. 19, nearly four months after Lewis died, a death certificate was filed in Waltham listing the cause of death as adenovirus 2, a common virus that causes the common cold, that led to inflammation of the heart, widespread scarring of tissue and, ultimately, a fatal cardiac arrest. Recent media reports have raised questions about whether drug use weakened his heart. Then, there were the financial interests. The Celtics had created a marketing poster declaring the "Changing of the Guards," featuring Lewis and Shaw towering over the parquet, with championship banners in the background. "There's simply no hard science, no evidence, linking adenovirus 2 and a myocarditis.". What Killed Reggie Lewis? - CBS News Lewis got another, more satisfying opinion and was diagnosed with a non-fatal condition called neurocardiogenic syncope. He then began working out later that summer, preparing for the 1993-94 season. / AP. "To my knowledge, seeing Reggie on a regular basis, I would be shocked," to learn that he had used cocaine, said Celtics coach Chris Ford. Most of the time internet deceives the audience by passing news about a healthy person as if they are dead. But they could not test the Celtics captain for drugs because Lewis initially refused, and Lewis had not been tested recently by the NBA because league policies prevented the testing of veterans without reasonable cause, the Journal said. 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. In the final game of his life, in the 1993 playoffs against the Charlotte Hornets and his childhood friend Muggsy Bogues, Lewis was electric in the opening minutes. "Joe never talked trash," Jordan said. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19 and subscribe to our YouTube channel. "They are worse than ludicrous. Both were fined $500, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. "His length confused me," Jordan conceded. Defense, they understood, was a paramount part of that conversation. They are shameful and disgusting. With young people, experts say, scarring of the heart is more often associated with cocaine abuse. 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. "It's thought to be the most common cause of unexplained heart damage in young, otherwise healthy people. He called me literally the day he died, and I was at Jordans Furniture remember Jordans Furniture? By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Staff,July 28, 2013, 12:00 a.m. 11. "I don't give a damn what people say. "Michael would have 37 and Reggie would have 32, so all the talk was about MJ, but Reggie was right there.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, 5 farmhouses to book for an agritourism getaway, How to plan a weekend getaway to Mount Shasta, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). While a doctor diagnosed the athlete with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the spring (and deeming the disease career-ending), Lewis sought a second opinion from another area hospital, where another doctor gave the basketball star a less serious, non-fatal diagnosis. "When we got on the court, Reggie treated him like everyone else," Shaw said. Two Brandeis University police officers found Lewis and attempted to revive him using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but they were unsuccessful. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Celtics in 1987 after a standout college career at Northeastern University. If he was still using, Dr. Mudge warned, he had to stop immediately. As far as Reggie using drugs, he never used any drugs, no kind of way, never in his lifetime did anything like that happen. Lewis was told his condition was most likely career-ending. The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System. 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. How much better could he have been? 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. A year after that epic battle with the Bulls, Reggie Lewis was chosen for his first All-Star Game. [7], On April 29, 1993, in Game 1 of the Celtics' playoff series against the Charlotte Hornets, Lewis suddenly collapsed on the court and remained on the ground for several seconds. Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported that, according to the autopsy report, Lewis died of myocarditis, an inflammation of heart muscle tissue. Lewis was examined by 12 experts who concluded that he suffered from a life-threatening disease that would most likely end his career. His Northeastern teams won the ECAC North all four seasons and played in the NCAA men's basketball tournament every year. The more we can educate young adults about the risk of sudden cardiac death, he says the more we can prevent young athletes from dying unnecessarily.. On March 31, 1991, at the Boston Garden, Lewis gave Jordan a night he hasnt forgotten. They will run a series of heart tests from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16, on athletes who volunteer to be checked in Morgan State's University Student Center. He denied it. The 24-year-old daughter of former Celtics great Reggie Lewis never met her father, born a few months after his tragic and untimely death 25 years ago. "He was on his way," Bird noted. Lawyers for four doctors being sued by Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, have asked Northeastern for the documents collected by a Blue Ribbon Commission on Athletics that investigated allegations of drug use by players. 'Irrational confidence', Stars pay tribute to Stephen Curry after 50-point NBA playoff game, Which teams will reach the NBA conference finals? "I miss him," Shaw said. Remembering Reggie Lewis, 20 years after his tragic death - ESPN "He was on his way to being one of the best 2-guards in the league," said friend and former teammate Brian Shaw. He was kind and caring, and this is the way I'll remember him and I encourage everybody to do the same," she said at a news conference at the Celtics' offices. 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. Selanne was suspended for two games and Lemieux for three. Reggie Lewis's death still hurts, 20 years later 2 seed, routed Elena Makarova, 6-0, 6-2, in the opening round at the Family Circle Magazine Cup in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Italy's Silvia Farina ousted No. Boston Celtics/Reggie Lewis Reports - 1993 - YouTube Lewis was diagnosed with "focal cardiomyopathy", a disease of the heart muscle that can cause irregular heartbeat and heart failure. The possibility of another one existed when the torch was passed to Reggie Lewis.. At issue was concern for his reputation and the financial interests of his family and the team, the newspaper said. When it happened again, this time on a pull-up jumper, Jordan became irked. This years event sponsor is Philips Healthcare, based in Andover, Mass. New masking guidelines are in effect starting April 24. Reggie Lewis, the Boston Celtics' leading scorer who fainted during an NBA playoff game three months ago, died Tuesday night in Waltham, Mass., after collapsing while shooting baskets at Brandeis . Brian Shaw and Reggie Lewis planned to grow up in the NBA together. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Lakers vs. Warriors: What scouts expect in playoff series, Austin Reaves has come a long way from a tiny Arkansas town to Lakers MVP!, Game 7 mentality: Lakers close out Grizzlies to earn some rest, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, LeBron James and the Lakers eliminate Grizzlies in a Game 6 rout, Lakers will need to tighten defense on Morant and Bane if they want to win Game 6. When he finally stood up and headed for the bench, he looked perplexed -- and frightened. 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. Medical Examiner Repeats 1st Finding of Cause of Death - Sfgate He spent his entire life working his hardest to make it into the N. The Journal added the following: Whether Mr. Lewis died from a heart damaged by cocaine -- as many doctors suspected then and now -- cannot be definitively shown. 35 jersey was retired by the Celtics, making him one of only two Celtics to have a retired number without winning a championship with the team, the other player being Ed Macauley. B/W PHOTO: [excerpt of story printed in The Wall Street Journal]COLOR PHOTO:EVAN RICHMAN/THE BOSTON GLOBEAfter the Lewises left Baptist (top), Mudge gave Reggie an optimistic prognosis, but two months after he and the doctor hugged, Reggie died in the gym (opposite) of causes that the death certificate (far right) may or may not have pinpointed.