It is in Lewis memory that Wade now wants to help other young athletes who may be at risk of sudden death and not know it. Reginald F. Lewis, 50, Is Dead; Financier Led Beatrice Takeover [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. 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. / AP. The Celtics responded by threatening to file a $100 million lawsuit against the reporter, the Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones and Co. Inc. "The story was written with complete disregard for the truth," the team said in a statement. Most of the time internet deceives the audience by passing news about a healthy person as if they are dead. Reggie Lewis Cause of Death, How did Reggie Lewis Die? Because Lewis was so understated off the floor, opponents mistakenly figured he lacked the killer instinct. If used consistently, cocaine can weaken the heart muscle, inflame it and ultimately kill the person taking it. Reggie did not do drugs, period. Reggie Lewis's death still hurts, 20 years later. With young people, experts say, scarring of the heart is more often associated with cocaine abuse. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The following day they were tested again, and finally passed. "A lot of people just knew Reggie as a basketball player, but the guys on the team knew him off the court," he said. Lewis, like so many young players of his generation, admired Jordan and hoped to emulate his ferocious commitment to the two-way game. The next day, he entered Boston's New England Baptist Hospital for a battery of tests. The other five were all Hall of Fame inductees, so it's not a stretch to say that Lewis was on the path to greatness. Reggie played in the shadows of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in his early Celtics years, but by his fifth NBA season, he was a dominant player, carrying Boston in the 1992 Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland. He slashed to the hole, ripped away offensive rebounds and seized the game by its throat. Lewis was told his condition was most likely career-ending. Just to throw that bone out there so people think about it, I think that's not right at all.". Twenty years later, Boston still aches for him and still wonders what might have been. 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. He was 27. 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. Parish played his final game as a member of the Celtics in 1994. "The question of drug use is not new," said John A. Curry, president of Northeastern University, alma mater of Mr. Lewis and Ms. Harris-Lewis. The Journal said these "dismissive policies regarding drugs may have affected human behavior and medical procedure in a fatal fashion.". Autopsy confirms Lewis had serious heart defects Specific ailment still Contact us or find a patient care location. reggie lewis diedreggie lewis death videodonna harris-lewisreggie lewis death videoreggie lewis death on court 2 Grizzlies, Celtics-76ers first look: What could decide the battle of East heavyweights, Pregame chats, language arts and 'a lot of fines': Inside NBA player-ref dynamics, Recipient of Basketball Hall of Fame Curt Gowdy Media Award. Discover what's to love about Charm City for yourself. 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. December 29, 1998 / 10:15 PM / AP. Nobody ever gave Jordan any flak over his performance that night. "This was not subtle.". "Reggie and I were really close friends," Derrick Lewis said. } 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. "[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. 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. That was about it," Bird told ESPN. Health officials in one region of Italy reported that screening had saved at least 22 lives. Doctors tried to get answers. A drug scandal - especially coming after the death of Len Bias of a cocaine overdose in 1986, a day after being drafted by the Celtics - would be potentially damaging to the NBA and the Celtics. This years event sponsor is Philips Healthcare, based in Andover, Mass. Kessler's office said today that he was not available for comment. All Rights Reserved. In older patients, dead tissue might indicate damage from arteriosclerosis, abnormal thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of the arteries. Reggie Lewis Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 The extra adrenalin is like poison to the heart. [3] He was a second cousin of PJ Dozier, who wore the jersey number 35 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in honor of Lewis. "[19][20] Also, Lewis's heart tissue tested positive for adenovirus during his autopsy. "The defendants want to avoid facing their negligence, and to distract attention from the truth with lies and unfounded rumors.". 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. "I'm fine," he answered, in his sweet, lazy Baltimore drawl. It was during a workout at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, on July 27, 1993, when Lewis collapsed on the court and died. You could always tell that.". That's one reason why he never used drugs. 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. "The adenovirus 2 finding was wildly improbable," said Dr. Jeffrey Isner, the sole cardiologist who consulted on the autopsy. But not in time for Lewis to have had an automated defibrillator implanted, a device that can electrically shock the heart back to pumping after it has stopped. If anything was being covered up, it was the fact he had a heart condition. Lewis was one of the exceptions. 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. Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine - CBS News [citation needed], On March 22, 1995, the Boston Celtics retired Lewis' jersey. #inline-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-b3f182ca-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { 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. . In addition, Mr. Lewis was born with a heart murmur, which. Mike Tyson, his boxing future the subject of great speculation, will read a statement, but not answer questions, at a news conference tomorrow in Cleveland. The other five -- Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin -- are all Hall of Famers. On a warm July afternoon in 1993, Reggie Lewis went with a friend to Brandeis University to shoot baskets. 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. In the initial shock, the death of basketball star Reggie Lewis last week seemed a grim parable of the seductive power of professional sports -- of an athlete so devoted to a game and its rewards that he would distort medical truth in order to keep playing. 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. 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. As many as 300 young athletes from 18 teams, ranging from 14 to 18 years of age, will be examined for HCM. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. They knew Reggie Lewis was no slouch. Midway through his first season in the NBA, I asked him how he was holding up. 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! . Indeed, Lewis had fainted during a game a few months before, prompting a much-publicized debate on his heart health and foreshadowing his death. In recent times, Reggie Lewis's death was surfed by many individuals. 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. 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. In a single dose or over years, cocaine will damage the heart. It would be virtually impossible to prove it was cocaine that killed him.". He spent a lot of time improving his game. 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. * The Celtics at the time were deeply in debt and in the midst of negotiations to sell a television station. Myocarditis can cause scar tissue, which in turn, can . . He didn't do it.". "When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it. Two other doctors who examined the heart, however, said they found scarring that they described as consistent with cocaine damage, the Journal reported. The newspaper said Dr. Kessler's office is under investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner's office. "It's more than just very flimsy as a cause of death," said Dr. Jangu Banatvala, a London researcher who the paper said is one of the world's experts on heart viruses. Many cases go undiagnosed, Abraham adds, because the young athletes healthy appearance and peak physical condition may mask their underlying sickness. As far as Reggie using drugs, he never used any drugs, no kind of way, never in his lifetime did anything like that happen. His relative youth, his dedication, and his clear potential made his death all the more poignant. reggie lewis death - YouTube These players have a higher than normal risk of sudden, potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbances or cardiac arrest, he says. 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. Dr. Stephen Gottlieb, associate professor and director of the heart failure service at the University of Maryland Medical System, said that although physicians ruled out various viruses in earlier testing of Mr. Lewis, that doesn't mean they ruled all of them out. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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 $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? . Marta Figueras-Dotti ended 11 years of frustration on the LPGA Tour with a victory in the Hawaiian Ladies Open at Ewa Beach. He blocked four of Jordans shots, shocking His Airness in the process. During a 1993 playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets, Lewis fell to the floor with nobody around him. "I was in Chicago when I got the news," Jordan said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. "When Reggie first came into the league," Bird told me, "he really didn't know how to play the game. The intense debate among his doctors over the cause of his heart damage and the possible role of cocaine never became public. Young people are not supposed to die, especially when they are in what we believe to be peak physical form, says Wade, current coordinator of athletics for the Baltimore City Public School System. Twenty years later, we still ponder what might have been. PRO BASKETBALL; Virus Damaged Lewis's Heart, Autopsy Finds [13][14][15] The Wall Street Journal reported that physicians "suspected that cocaine killed Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewisbut they were thwarted by actions by his family and a 'dismissive' policy toward drugs by the NBA." He became an NBA All-Star during the 1991-92 season when he averaged 20.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. "He was showing us older guys respect," Jordan said, "but he also knew he belonged.". 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.. LEWIS'S TRAGIC DEATH STILL HAUNTS CELTICS - The Washington Post From 1988-93, he was 1 of 6 players to post 7.5K PTS, 1.5K REBS, 1K ASTS & 500 STLS. Reggie's not a drug user," Mr. Lewis' mother, Ms. Ritch, said last night. There was the 1984 NCAA tournament game against VCU, when he was close to unstoppable. Reggie and Shaw talked for hours about what they needed to do to introduce themselves into the discussion of great players in the league. 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. By the time he died, he was one of six players who, from 1988-93, posted at least 7,500 points, 1,500 rebounds, 1,000 assists and 500 steals. His considerable skills were matched by a silent, patient resolve that served him well. 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. New masking guidelines are in effect starting April 24. It wasn't until the second overtime that the old master, Bird, came to life and ripped off nine points to enable the Celtics to hang on for a 135-132 win. I havent talked too much about it over the years, Fox said to Bill Simmons in aYouTubevideo posted in 2018. Then, there were the financial interests. December 29, 1998 / 10:15 PM Jordan was about to win his fifth consecutive scoring title and his first NBA championship. Celtics' Lewis Collapses on Court, Dies - Los Angeles Times A bad back forced Bird into early retirement in 1992. As a result, Lewis began working out in preparation for returning for the 1994 season. Lewis' widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, denied today that he refused to take a drug test and said he didn't use drugs. The Wall Street Journal reported in 1995 that doctors at New England Baptist recommended Lewis be tested for cocaine. He also assured doctors, from his own experience with Mr. Lewis, that he was not a drug user. Lewis transferred to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where another team, this one led by Dr. Gilbert Mudge, diagnosed him with a less-harmful neurological condition. Lewis was diagnosed with "focal cardiomyopathy", a disease of the heart muscle that can cause irregular heartbeat and heart failure. "There's simply no hard science, no evidence, linking adenovirus 2 and a myocarditis.". 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. But as we know now, even top-flight athletes can have hidden heart disease.. The Celtics selected Lewis with the 22nd overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. He never relinquished his own aggressiveness. 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 center was funded partially by Lewis and has hosted major indoor track and field competitions, the Boston Indoor Games, home basketball games for Roxbury Community College, and Northeastern University track and field events. Before his doctors got any further with the case, however, Mr. Lewis packed up, left Baptist Hospital and checked into Brigham and Women's Hospital -- a respected affiliate of Harvard University. Abraham will lead the Hopkins team on Saturday. Among the most notable fatalities to date was Lewis, a graduate of Dunbar High School who was also African-American. That came from Gilbert H. Mudge, director of clinical cardiology at a Harvard teaching hospital, who said Lewis suffered from a benign neurological disorder. Martina Navratilova made the final of the Paris womens open with a 6-1, 6-3, victory over Leila Meshki. Family details how they keep Reggie Lewis' legacy alive on the 25th The death of Reggie Lewis, Boston Celtic captain, was the result of a viral infection severely damaging his heart, leaving him vulnerable to . 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. Boston Celtics/Reggie Lewis Reports - 1993 - YouTube Haarhuis defeated Jaime Yzaga, 6-3, 6-3. . Reggie Lewis was a professional basketball player who died suddenly at the age of 27. He was just 27. 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. Their vulnerable condition precluded them from any highly strenuous activity, and the rising number of occurrences is what compelled him to organize the weekend screening. 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. How many other NBA players can lay claim to making Michael Jordan feel that way? Thats because they understood who I was up against. 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. "Every time I thought I had him beat, he'd recover and get up on me. He denied it. Such scarring also might be caused by poison, medications, alcohol or infection. . However, the U.S. Olympic team does not require physical exams for its competing athletes, but instead offers voluntary cardiac screening. Lewis started all 82 games and shot better than 50% from the floor that season. "We wish to try the case on the facts of Reggie Lewis' medical treatment," Harley told the Boston Herald. Mudge's lawyer declined to comment to the Herald on the case. It was the first and only trey he attempted all night. He was a tough matchup, and he had those long arms that really bothered me. In addition to The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Philips Healthcare, other co-sponsors of this event are Morgan State University, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, the National Football Foundation, the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, Friends in Red, and the Chad Foundation. "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. "He was on his way to being one of the best 2-guards in the league," said Brian Shaw, his friend and former teammate. Lewis attended Northeastern University in Boston. The Tragic Death of Reggie Lewis: Boston Celtics Championship History 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. His death was attributed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a structural heart defect that is the most common cause of death in young athletes.[11][12]. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Elliott: Pissed off Kings must improve in key areas to break Oilers playoff stranglehold, Shohei Ohtanis seventh home run of the season helps Angels avoid sweep, Florida Panthers upset record-setting Boston Bruins in Game 7 OT thriller, Dodgers dont need the long ball to finish sweep of Cardinals, School is in session as Sparks begin training camp. Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine. If you started yapping at either of those guys, they just smiled at you. 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. We intend to sue the reporter, Ron Suskind, the Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones and Company Inc., for $100 million. "We used to talk all the time about how we wanted to be the breakout tandem, the Celtics backcourt to be reckoned with for a long, long time.". 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. 'Irrational confidence', Stars pay tribute to Stephen Curry after 50-point NBA playoff game, Which teams will reach the NBA conference finals? 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. "He had my number that particular night.". The Big Three dominated throughout the 1980s, but age and injuries took their toll, forcing the three out of Boston. Lewis returned briefly to the game but was eventually pulled due to dizziness and shortness of breath. [8], The following day, Lewis checked into New England Baptist Hospital, where he underwent a series of tests by more than a dozen heart specialists, who the Celtics called their "dream team" of doctors. It was considered career-ending. 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. An electrocardiogram, or EKG, to assess the hearts electrical rhythms will also be given. "No, nobody did," Jordan said. * Mr. Lewis' new doctors concluded that his problem was a benign fainting condition, requiring only tests and close monitoring. As a Celtic, he and his family lived in Dedham, Massachusetts. On Sunday, Lewis' third day in the hospital, a team of top doctors met and went over the test results. No, nobody did, Jordan said. By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Staff,July 28, 2013, 12:00 a.m. 11. 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. Find a doctor at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center or Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. A year after that epic battle with the Bulls, Reggie Lewis was chosen for his first All-Star Game. Here's where we pause for a moment to understand the magnitude of what Jordan is saying.
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