-- A month after suffering brain injuries in a world title fight, super-middleweight Gerald McClellan is breathing on his own and occasionally opens his eyes and moves his arms. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. But African-Americans are more vulnerable, with two to three times the rate of sudden cardiac death than in whites. Because of the differing views, Lewis had a team of L.A. specialists review the data. "They had that inner confidence where they believed, 'You can say what you want, but I'm still going to play my game.'". The NBA's drug policy, however, does not allow its veteran players to be tested for drugs without probable cause. 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 . (In an ironic twist, Rolando's son, Jeremy Lamb, would later play for Calhoun at UConn). 7 seed Lori McNeil, 6-3, 6-1. A bad back forced Bird into early retirement in 1992. When someone with his talent does that to you, you can live with it., We lost All-Star Reggie Lewis 29 years ago today. Lewis, like so many young players of his generation, admired Jordan and hoped to emulate his ferocious commitment to the two-way game. He was pronounced dead two hours later, leaving his family, his friends, his city, his team and his NBA peers completely numb. "This was something any third-year resident could have seen," said Dr. Charles Munn, the hospital's staff radiologist. If he was still using, Dr. Mudge warned, he had to stop immediately. Reginald F. Lewis, 50, Is Dead; Financier Led Beatrice Takeover 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. McBride's 1994 Utes tied the school record with eight straight wins, finishing 10-2. . As a rookie, Lewis played sporadically, averaging 8.3 minutes per game under coach K. C. Jones. It was not much different behind the scenes, according to the Journal. MEDICAL EXAMINER REPEATS 1ST FINDING OF CAUSE OF DEATH, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, 'Horrible': Oakland rapper dumps on Chase Center Warriors fans, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis. Dr. Mudge told the Journal that he later had come to agree that Mr. Lewis' heart was damaged. Just ask Michael Jordan. Myocarditis can cause scar tissue, which in turn, can . A heart arrhythmia . He loved it. Mr. Lewis' doctors immediately began to question him about drug use after the fainting incident. display: none; The Detroit Pistons rejected a trade for Sacramento center Duane Causwell, saying he failed to pass a physical examination because of an unspecified problem. He tried to return to action that night, but the Celtics medical staff pulled him again when he suffered dizziness and shortness of breath. She said that the school promised privacy to people who spoke to the commission and that releasing the files would cripple the school's ability to conduct future confidential internal investigations. The newspaper said Dr. Kessler's office is under investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner's office. All rights reserved. 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. "What is undeniable: Cocaine was a central, explosive issue for the doctors, the Lewis family, the Celtics and the pathologists who conducted his November 1993 autopsy - an issue that became untouchable because Mr. Lewis was a basketball superstar," the newspaper said. At issue was concern for his reputation and the financial interests of his family and the team, the newspaper said. A year after that epic battle with the Bulls, Reggie Lewis was chosen for his first All-Star Game. "We felt it was our duty to abide by our pledge of confidentiality," Janet Hookailo, the spokeswoman, said Tuesday. Recent media reports have raised questions about whether drug use weakened his heart. He loved it. They shouldn't bother. Feb. 20, 1994 12 AM PT. Parish played his final game as a member of the Celtics in 1994. How much better could he have been? He also refused to provide a urine or blood sample for drug tests, and that only heightened his doctors' suspicions. "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. Two depositions said the two failed the test when they took it the next day. He consistently raised his level of play during the postseason, averaging as many as 28.0 points per game in the 1991-92 playoffs. Doctors link cocaine use to Lewis' death, report says He also told him that "cocaine is the only thing that would explain what we are seeing." A Boston Celtics dynasty came to a close. For further evidence of what might have been, you need look no further than March 31, 1991, when Reggie Lewis did something I never thought possible: He completely and utterly flummoxed the great Michael Jordan. This need became more urgent after Len Bias, the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, died of a cocaine overdose.[5]. I called Jordan earlier this week to see if he had any recollections of a young Lewis blocking him four times. As many as 300 young athletes from 18 teams, ranging from 14 to 18 years of age, will be examined for HCM. The following day, the Celtics gathered a dozen heart specialists through New England Baptist Hospital, a dream team of doctors, according to The Boston Globe. Defense was also a strength for Lewis. "That's because they understood who I was up against. Our goal is to make this not only an annual program in Maryland, but to serve as a model for other programs to start across the country, state by state, city by city, if necessary, Abraham says, noting that other countries, such as Italy and Japan, have since the early 1980s run regular school programs to screen teenage athletes and non-athletes for possible heart problems. The failed physical means that center Olden Polynice and forward David Wood return to Detroit. Haarhuis defeated Jaime Yzaga, 6-3, 6-3. . "And Reggie was the same way. But it has agreed to a compromise that would provide the information with the proviso certain information be kept confidential. As a Celtic, he and his family lived in Dedham, Massachusetts. That is how I will remember him," Ms. Harris-Lewis said. } 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? New masking guidelines are in effect starting April 24. A $15 million insurance policy on his contract would not pay off if his disability was linked to drugs. If anything was being covered up, it was the fact he had a heart condition. Although Lewis was predictably quiet, he was also comfortable with his place on the roster. 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. 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. On July 27, 1993, while shooting baskets at Brandeis University, Lewis collapsed and died. "To me, this was an example of gutless journalism, yellow journalism -- based fully on a complete disregard for the truth. 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. African-American players at special risk of death from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Sudden Death of Baltimore Basketball Player Reggie Lewis Spurs Coach to Screen Other Young Players For Heart Defects - 01/14/2010. Was he going left or right? He died when several different problems caused his enlarged heart to beat irregularly, said Evans, repeating the finding on the athlete's death certificate. Per CBS, Lewis had collapsed one time before, during a playoff game earlier that year against the Charlotte Hornets. 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. 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. "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. Because of Lewis' age and physical condition, Dr. Charles Munn, the hospital's staff radiologist, and Dr. Thomas Nessa, Baptist Hospital's cardiologist, considered cocaine as being involved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. ", Asked if anyone else had ever blocked four of his shots in one game, Jordan answered, "No one had ever done it before, and no one has done it since.". 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 left the game having scored 17 points in 13 minutes of action in what turned out to be his final NBA game. "The Celtics are saddened by the vicious attack on Reggie Lewis and his family.". "It was clear the expectations for Reggie were very high at that time," Jordan said. Doctor Knew Lewis Used Cocaine. "He was on his way," Bird noted. 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. They said it was not only possible that a common cold virus known as adenovirus 2 caused the heart damage, but also that it was a logical conclusion. "Indeed, since Reggie's death, local and out-of-town reporters have combed our campus for evidence of drug use or association by Reggie. Reggie did not do drugs, period. If used consistently, cocaine can weaken the heart muscle, inflame it and ultimately kill the person taking it.