RIP (Dead basketball players thread)

[carlo]

The "Clown Prince of Basketball", Meadowlark Lemon dead at 83.

Lemon became one of the most prominent Harlem Globetrotters members, from the second half of 1950s through 1978, when he left the Trotters. He replaced Goose Tatum as the master in entertaining on a team that toured the world several times,

[carlo]

Kenny Sailors, credited for being the first to use the modern jump shot, died at 95.

Sailors was a two-time consensus All-American guard at Wyoming, in 1943 and then 1946, after he had served with the Marines during WWII. He also played in the early NBA for five seasons.

CZ-zC8BUAAA6OUv.jpg

[carlo]

HoF Clyde Lovellette died at the age of 86.

A two-time college All-American, Lovellette won the 1952 NCAA title with Kansas, earning MVP and scoring honors. He also won the 1952 Olympic gold for USA, then played AAU ball in the 1952-53 season and finally joined NBA for 11 seasons.

[carlo]

Former Syracuse University great Dwayne "Pearl" Washington died at age of 52.

http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2016/04/syracuse_basketball_legend_pearl_washington_dies_at_age_52.html

Washington was rated #1 of 1983-class HS and became one of the most legendary players at Syracuse. He left college after his junior year and was selected in the 1986 NBA draft by New Jerswey Nets but stayed only three years in NBA.

[carlo]

Jim McMillian, nine-year NBA star and 1972 champ with Los Angeles Lakers, died at age of 68.

A Columbia University All-American, McMillian was drafted in the first round by both ABA and NBA in 1970, but he chose the Lakers, where he played with Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, replacing forward Elgin Baylor who had retired.

After his NBA years, he went to play two seasons in Italy, where he made a big impact as one of the most talented foreign players ever to play in Italian League.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15566047/jim-mcmillian-won-1972-title-los-angeles-lakers-dies-68

[carlo]

1986-2016, thirty years have passed since Len Bias untimely and tragic death.

This story recalls the time with and without Bias in the words of former teammate Keith Gatlin:

http://theundefeated.com/features/living-with-len-bias/

[carlo]

Remembering HoF Nate Thurmond, who passed away last Saturday at age 74.

Thurmond, an All-American at Bowling Green in 1963, proved to be one of the best centers to play in NBA from mid of 1960s through the early '70s. A great all-round player, he combined outstanding defensive skills and effective offensive production, averaging over 20 ppg for five straight seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors and more than 21 rpg from 1966 through 1968 seasons. He also played in seven NBA All-Star games.

[carlo]

Brazilian center Fab Melo dead at 26.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18668751/former-syracuse-boston-celtics-center-fab-melo-dies-brazil

Melo played two seasons at Syracuse and was picked by Celtics in 2012 Draft with #22. After a short career at NBA/D-League he went to play in Puerto Rico and his home country Brazil.

[carlo]

Former UConn star Toby Kimball died at age 74.

Though not a major star among the pros, Kimball played in NBA for nearly nine years. He was drafted out of UConn in 1965 but opted to play one season in Italy, where he's remembered by older fans for his defense and rebounding ability. While at Ignis he helped win the first Intercontinental Cup for clubs played in Spain early 1966.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/hc-obit-kimball-uconn-0503-20170502-story.html

[carlo]

Jo Jo White, former Boston Celtics great, dead at 71.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22124169/jo-jo-white-boston-celtics-great-basketball-hall-famer-dies-cancer-battle

White played collegiately at Kansas and was drafted in 1969 by NBA as the #9 overall pick by Celtics, where he played for ten seasons, becoming a NBA All-Star for seven consecutive years. During his college years he also starred with US national team, winning the Olympic gold in 1968 as well as other international titles, namely at the Pan American and World University games in 1967. White was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

[BiHBasket]

Sabit Hadzic died at the age of 60.

As a player, he was the champion of the Europe(1979.) as a KK Bosna Sarajevo player, and also with the national team of Yugoslavia he earned Bronze medal on 1984 Olympics.

He was coach of the Bosnian national basketball team in two occasions and we played on four Eurobasket's under him.

[carlo]

Hal Greer 76ers Hall of Fame died at age of 81.

He was drafted in the second round by Syracuse Nationals out of Marshall College in 1958. During his long pro career Greer scored over 21,000 points in 1,122 games and won the NBA title in 1967 with Philadelphia 76ers. He was an NBA All-Star from 1961 through 1970 and the MVP of the 1968 All-Star game.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/obituaries/hal-greer-hall-of-fame-jump-shooter-for-76ers-is-dead-at-81.html

[carlo]

Former Kentucky Wildcats and Boston Celtics star Frank Ramsey dead at 86.

Ramsey was a three-time All-American at Kentucky winning the 1951 NCAA championship and member of the famed Boston Celtics winner of seven NBA titles. He was the true first 6th man in the early NBA, as stated by his former teammate and friend, the great Bill Russell.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24042189/former-kentucky-wildcats-boston-celtics-standout-frank-ramsey-dies-86

[BiHBasket]

Alton Ford(1981 - 2018)

He was remembered as a bit of eccentric from his time in the Igokea in my country. There are many anecdotes about him from that time.

[carlo]

Bob Lienhard, Pallacanestro Cantù (ITA) legend dies at age of 70.


https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...hard_1975b.jpg

A 1966 Parade All-American at HS, the 6-10 (2.08) Lienhard had a fine college career with Georgia Bulldogs where he became the school's all-time rebounder in 1970. After his sophomore season he played for one of the NCAA teams at the 1968 Olympic trials. He was invited to Italy by Simmenthal Milano in 1970 but instead he enrolled at the Cantù rival club team, where he played through 1978, scoring 3354 points. He won several international awards including an Intercontinental Cup. He married and stayed in Italy becoming an Italian citizen and continued to play in minor leagues until 1986.