On This Date in Sports July 27, 1993: The Death of Reggie Lewis
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Tragedy strikes the Boston Celtics when Reggie Lewis collapses and dies during an off-season workout at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Lewis had collapsed during the Celtics playoff opener against the Charlotte Hornets a few months earlier. An autopsy would be performed, showing that Reggie Lewis was suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a defect that causes a thickening of the heart without an obvious cause.
Reggie Lewis was born on November 21, 1965, in Baltimore. After a strong High School career where he played with Muggsy Bogues, David Wingate, and Reggie Williams, Lewis attends Northeastern University, where he was coached by Jim Calhoun. After his senior season, the Boston Celtics selected Reggie Lewis with the 22nd overall pick in the NBA Draft.
With the Celtics still an elite team in the NBA led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, Reggie Lewis did not see much playing time in his rookie season. However, as Bird began to feel the ravages of time and injury, Lewis began to get his chances, averaging 18.9 points per game in 1989. A swingman who played small forward and shooting guard, Reggie Lewis became a starter for Boston in 1990 and became an All-Star for the first time two years later, with a career-high 20.8 points per game.
With the retirement of Larry Bird in 1992, and Kevin McHale playing in his last season, the Celtics were looking for new players to continue basketball’s most successful franchise. The team had suffered a major body blow in 1986, when Len Bias, the player they selected with the second overall pick, died a few days after the draft due to a cocaine overdose. Reggie Lewis, chosen in the following draft, was slowly becoming the team’s top player as he was named captain after the departure of Bird and helped lead Boston to a 48-34 record, good enough for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference in 1993.
On April 29th, as the Celtics hosted the Charlotte Hornets in their playoff opener at the Boston Garden, Reggie Lewis collapsed and did not return as the Celtics won the game 112-101. The Hornets would win the next three games to eliminate the Celtics as Lewis sat out after doctors had found an irregular heartbeat. With an eye towards getting back on the court in time for the following season, Reggie Lewis began going through light workouts at the Celtics training facility on the campus of Brandeis University.
In the weeks following Reggie Lewis’ untimely death, a report linked it to possible cocaine use. However, the autopsy did not show any drug use as the Celtics threatened a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. The test performed showed that Lewis was suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a defect that causes a thickening of the heart without an obvious cause. The Celtics would go to retire the #35 Reggie Lewis had worn throughout his career.