Reggie’s Last Game (4.29.1993)

Larry Bird retired after playing with the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics, leaving the Celtics captaincy to Reggie Lewis. What was supposed to be his first playoff run as team leader and the face of the NBA’s greatest franchise ended in tragedy and we all had no idea what the future would hold for the Boston Celtics at the time.

Reggie Lewis assumed the highly prestigious mantle of team captain of the Boston Celtics before the opening of his 6th NBA season following the retirement of Larry Bird. In previous eras, its taken a while for the fandom to fully embrace the passing of the torch from one Celtics legend to another but this time it was going to a young lion as opposed to another veteran with championship credentials. The difference being Reggie Lewis had been embraced by Boston since he first arrived on campus at Northeastern University as a student back in Fall 1983. By the time we were approaching the 1992–93 NBA season Bostonians had already spent nearly a decade straight as Reggie Lewis fans, especially in the inner city where we regarded him as one of us since he resided in the South End/Lower Roxbury as a member of Jim Calhoun’s Northeastern Huskies.

Reggie Lewis emerged as the Celtics new go to guy during their last playoff run and had been playing on a superstar level since his 2nd season in the league when he was suddenly thrust into the starting lineup due to Larry Bird sustaining injuries to both ankles that were exacerbated by his back woes. As a result, he had to undergo season ending double Achilles surgery in November 1988. This left an opportunity for a 23 year old Reggie Lewis to shine. While his official season scoring average reads 18.5 points per game, he put up an impressive stat line in 57 starts of 21.6 PPG 5.1 RPG 3.2 APG. However, the Boston Celtics limped to a mediocre 42–40 finish punctuated by a 1st Round sweep to the Detroit Pistons who also swept the Los Angeles Lakers to win their first NBA Championship in June 1989. Reggie did manage a couple of 20 point 9 rebound efforts in front of a national audience, though. For his efforts, Reggie ended up finishing 2nd to Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns in the 1988–89 Most Improved Player Award voting.

Reggie Lewis’ game was unique. He was quick, athletic, and surprisingly strong for his wiry physique so he absorbed contact well from defenders in the air and had no fear driving the lane or going to the hoop. This meant if you jumped with Reggie in hopes being physical with him would throw off his shot, you’d be proven wrong when he finished off the play regardless. He had a lethal first step and a fantastic mid range game. He’d kill his defender with an assortment of floaters and leaners from a variety of difficult angles. He’d stop mid drive and pull up on a moments notice to shoot his trademarked lean back jumper.

If you gave him too much space, he’d blow by and dunk on you. If you crowded him, he’d create space with fakes or dribbles then either shoot a jumper over you, a floater or he’d drive into your chest and score a tough layup off the glass. He was a problem on either low block because he had a back to the basket post game with a devastating turn around jumper. If Reggie extended his range to the three point line he would’ve been scoring 25 a night during the regular season easily. Not only did Reggie have all of this in his offensive toolbox but his game was so smooth that when he was picking a team apart in a variety of ways including leaning turnaround fadeaway jumpers after a jump stop in the lane in front of multiple defenders it looked effortless. You couldn’t speed him up or intimidate him even if you put elite defenders on him but he’d snatch your soul by dropping bucket after bucket silently. He rarely reacted. That would drive the opposition crazy.

Defensively? He was a nightmare. Long, lanky and quick to every spot on the court. He’d reach in and steal the ball or swat your shot at the height of your jump. He was one of the premier shot blocking wings of his era. He’d even give Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen fits. If Reggie Lewis had a more demonstrative and flashy personality, he might’ve become a superstar much sooner but he wasn’t interested in rushing the process. Following the 1989–90 season where he averaged 17.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG & 2.8 APG — 18.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG & 3.3 APG in 54 starts — on 49.6% shooting from the floor and 80.8% from the free throw line, Reggie switched agents and signed a new 5 year contract worth about $15 million that concluded after the 1995–96 season to ensure he was finally compensated like a star player.

Coming off a 1992 All Star selection and a bunch of jaw dropping games in the 1992 NBA Playoffs, it was clear to everyone who the focal point of the offense was in Boston. Reggie Lewis was going to be the guy on the front of the media guide, on the posters, on the t shirts and in all the NBA On NBC and TNT television promos going forward.

The Boston Celtics began the 1992–93 season by signing Xavier McDaniel as a free agent from the New York Knicks to add veteran leadership, toughness, and scoring off the bench to help bolster the remaining two aging members of the vaunted Big Three as well as the Celtics’ young core of Reggie Lewis, Kevin Gamble, Dee Brown, Sherman Douglas, and Rick Fox. Months later, Boston acquired Alaa Abdelnaby from Milwaukee after trading 1992 NBA Draft pick Jon Barry who refused to report to Boston. The team stumbled out the gate, only managing to win 2 of their first 10 games under coach Chris Ford, including a 6 game losing streak.

They found their bearings over the next 10 games, managing to win 7 of those contests. The team was still having trouble finding consistency and some members of the fanbase were already nostalgic for the days when the highly competitive and fiery Larry Bird used to criticize the efforts of his underperforming teammates. Reggie Lewis was a far more quiet, reserved person and his leadership style was very different from most of the traditional vocal leaders that the Boston Celtics had in the past. Some began to wonder if Reggie was up to the task of leading this squad when the Boston Celtics limped to a 12–17 record right before the new year, punctuated by a 4 game losing streak.

On December 30th, 1992 the Boston Celtics lost 105–99 to the Los Angeles Clippers led by Danny Manning and Ron Harper. Reggie scored 26 points on 10 for 21 shooting from the field but they were outscored 34 to 22 in the 4th quarter in Los Angeles Sports Arena. After this disappointing loss, the story we heard is they flew back to Boston. The next day was New Year’s Eve and Reggie Lewis presided over a closed door players only meeting where he told his teammates that their 12–17 record was in the past. Beginning on January 1st, 1993 they now had a clean slate. The Boston Celtics win-loss record is now 0–0 and their season going forward will be predicated on how they play now. The team was reportedly fired up and excited after Reggie’s speech and their next opponent? The very same Los Angeles Clippers they just dropped an embarrassing game to in L.A. the day before.

On January 3rd, 1993 in historic Boston Garden the Boston Celtics outscored the Clippers 32 to 20 in the 3rd quarter enroute to a 120–112 win behind a balanced team effort where 6 Boston Celtics scored in double digits, led by Xavier McDaniel’s 24 point and 10 rebound effort off the bench. The Boston Celtics were suddenly 1–0. They carried this energy going forward into a 7 game win streak. The Boston Celtics ripped off an impressive 14–7 record leading to the 1993 NBA All Star Weekend break.

Unfortunately, the team’s record was still hovering around .500 (26–24) so the fans, media & coaches weren’t going to select Reggie Lewis as an All-Star reserve over Joe Dumars, Dominique Wilkins, or Detlef Schrempf that season. Reggie was far more focused on team goals than individual accolades but it was also the first time since 1979 the Boston Celtics didn’t have a single representative at the All Star Game.

The Boston Celtics responded by having a 22–10 record after the 1993 All Star Game. This impressive run featured a 9 game win streak that ran from March 16th, 1993 to March 31st, 1993. The streak was broken on April 2nd, 1993 in a 118–114 loss to the 54–15 Phoenix Suns led by a 37 point, 11 rebound and 6 assist performance from the eventual 1993 NBA MVP Charles Barkley. Reggie Lewis had 32 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists on 13 of 24 shooting but their 4th quarter push fell short even though they forced Kevin Johnson to turn over the ball 9 times and outscored the Suns 34 to 26 in the final frame. After this game aired in front of a national audience on TNT it was clear to the rest of the league that the Boston Celtics were not a team to be taken lightly. That performance started a late season slide where they lost 5 straight games but they quickly righted the ship by winning 6 of their final 7 games.

The 1992–93 Boston Celtics finished their regular season with a 48–34 record, good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. They went 36–17 overall after January 1st, 1993 including 22–10 after the All Star break which made them one of the hottest teams in the league entering the 1993 NBA Playoffs. They had a balanced attack with 6 players averaging in double figures, 2 of which came off the bench — Xavier McDaniel averaging 13.5 PPG 6.0 RPG and Kevin McHale who put up a respectable 10.7 PPG 5.0 RPG in only 23.3 minutes a game. Reggie Lewis led the way with 20.8 PPG 4.3 RPG 3.7 APG 1.5 SPG &1 BPG. Behind him was the team’s shooter Kevin Gamble who put up 13.3 PPG and shot 37.4% from the three point line. Robert Parish contributed 12.6 PPG 9.4 RPG 1.4 BPG at age 39 while playing only 27.2 minutes per game. Dee Brown (10.9 PPG 3.1 RPG 5.8 APG) would split time at point guard with Sherman “The Little General” Douglas (7.8 PPG 6.4 APG), pushing the tempo and maintaining the pressure on the opposing defense. Alaa Abdelnaby chipped in 8.2 PPG 4.8 RPG as a starter who only played 18.3 minutes a game on average and Rick Fox scored 6.4 PPG off the bench in his 2nd year in the league to round out the 9 man rotation.

They drew the young, upstart Charlotte Hornets as their 1st round opponent. The expansion squad hadn’t won a playoff series yet but boasted an impressive young core of budding superstars including Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Kendall Gill who were all younger than 25. They were led by veteran point guard Muggsy Bogues, a close friend and former Dunbar Poets teammate of Reggie Lewis as was Hornets reserve David Wingate. Reggie Lewis couldn’t even crack the starting lineup on an all time great high school squad and wasn’t widely recruited by college programs but here he was, an NBA superstar facing off against two of the guys that played ahead of him in his younger years.

By the time the playoffs were about to be underway, the media began running with a narrative that Kendall Gill had Reggie Lewis’ number when the two teams matched up during the regular season. Mind you, this was concerning because the Boston Celtics dominated the regular season series against the Charlotte Hornets, winning 3 games to 1.

Boston won 109-99 on November 11th, 1992, 111-102 on November 27th, 1992 and 107-103 on January 5th, 1993. Their lone loss to the Hornets was a 96 to 93 contest on March 14th, 1993 when Reggie Lewis only managed to score 10 points on a disappointing 4 for 14 night from the floor. However, after this close loss the Boston Celtics won their next 9 games straight. In the November 11th, 1992 win, Kendall Gill outscored Reggie Lewis 23 to 16. In the Celtics November 27th, 1992 win Kendall Gill didn’t even play and in Boston’s January 5th, 1993 win versus the Hornets, Reggie Lewis outscored Kendall Gill 22 to 13. In any event, the talk was enough to motivate Reggie Lewis who was every bit the competitor his “big brother” Larry was.

In order to shut all the talking heads up and leave no doubt in their minds that Kendall Gill couldn’t guard him, Reggie was going to come out aggressive and attack the Charlotte Hornets from the opening tip in order to lead by example. If there’s one thing Reggie had been known for doing in his 6 year NBA career so far was coming up big in the postseason. He averaged 22.9 PPG in 30 previous playoff games as a starter. During the 1992 NBA Playoffs, Reggie Lewis opened everyone’s eyes by averaging 28.0 PPG 4.3 RPG 3.9 APG and 2.4 SPG while shooting 53% from the field. His most notable offensive explosions included a 36 point 4 steal gem in Game 1 vs. the Indiana Pacers in the 1st Round, a 36 point 7 assist effort in a Game 3 win vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers which he followed up with a 42 point, 6 assist and 5 steal monster of a game in a heartbreaking Game 4 overtime loss.

The point I’m making is by the end of the 1992–93 NBA regular season, it was well known among those who closely followed the NBA what Reggie Lewis was capable of on the biggest stage when the lights were the brightest. The media, coaches, and players were all aware as well. He had his own signature shoe from Reebok since the 1990–91 season, the Reverse Jam. He was the only player to ever block Michael Jordan 4 times in the same game on March 31st, 1991 in the old Boston Garden in a double overtime 135 to 132 barnburner the Boston Celtics won against the eventual 1991 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls. The game aired nationally on NBC and was hailed as an instant classic. Reggie scored 25 points, including a clutch three pointer to tie the game with 19.4 seconds left in regulation. If anyone forgot the kind of player he was, Reggie Lewis was going to remind the world when they televised Game 1 of the 1st Round of the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs in Boston Garden. It would be his first playoff run as the captain, leader, and face of the NBA’s greatest franchise.

Keep in mind that back in 1993, there was no licensed NBA game that had updated rosters like we had with the “NBA Live” and “NBA 2K” series now. For example, if you used the Boston Celtics in the NES/SNES game “Tecmo NBA Basketball” which was released at the beginning of the 1992–93 NBA season, it was actually the 1991–92 squad in the game. It was also the first basketball game to carry the license of both the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Conversely, Electronic Arts’ “Bulls vs. Blazers & The NBA Playoffs” which was also released at the beginning of the 1992–93 NBA season for the Sega Genesis and Super NES also used the rosters from the 1991–92 NBA season. The lone game that had an updated 1993 NBA roster was the super popular “NBA Jam” in the arcade — which dropped nationwide between late March and mid April 1993 — a two player basketball game that used Reggie Lewis and Kevin McHale’s likenesses in it. The truly sad part to this entire situation is we didn’t get to see the 1992–93 Boston Celtics in an NBA game until EA released “NBA Showdown” before the 1993–94 season was underway, which would be the last game either Reggie Lewis or Drazen Petrovic would ever appear in.

There was a new energy around this particular postseason for several reasons. The NBA was at a crucial juncture in its evolution following two rounds of expansion in the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons that introduced the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves to the league. The lone expansion team in the 1993 NBA Playoffs were the Charlotte Hornets and the Orlando Magic were on the cusp led by rookie superstar Shaquille O’Neal.

The upcoming 1993 NBA Draft was about to welcome several young future superstars to the Association, namely Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, and Jamal Mashburn. In addition, NBA Entertainment saw an opportunity to market the league and their young superstars to an enthusiastic young market to piggyback off the popularity of the smash hit arcade game “NBA Jam” and the popularity of Rap and R&B which was the preferred music of the league’s young players. After NBA Entertainment saw the sales and video store rental numbers from Shaquille O’Neal’s promotional VHS “Shaq Attaq: In Your Face On & Off The Court” released in February 1993 they understood they needed to be proactive going forward embracing the young talent that would be entering the league over the next 3 to 5 seasons.

The previous season, we saw the retirement of Larry Bird and they’d already seen Magic Johnson leave after announcing he contracted the HIV virus. Marquee names like Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, Kevin McHale, Tom Chambers, Bernard King, etc. saw their careers approaching the end as new young players that captured the attention of young fans began to replace them in ESPN highlights and on episodes of “NBA Inside Stuff” such as Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson, Kenny Anderson, Steve Smith, Chris Jackson (BKA Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), Stacey Augmon, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Tim Hardaway, Glen Rice, etc. The NBA recognized that they needed to pivot early as the first members of the super popular Michigan Fab Five started to finally enter the league beginning with the 1993 NBA Draft.

The Boston Celtics vs. Charlotte Hornets 1st Round matchup was pitched as a battle of experience vs. youth but the reality of the matter is the overwhelming majority of that playoff experience came from Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Xavier McDaniel. Also, the Charlotte Hornets had quite a formidable trio of young stars, a bunch of role players and dependable shooters who were more than capable of beating them in a short series. The Boston Celtics’ biggest advantage over the Charlotte Hornets was the fact Boston had Reggie Lewis suiting up in kelly green.

On April 29th, 1993 the Boston Garden was at capacity with 14,890 souls in attendance including Larry Bird. The Boston Celtics won countless big games on that hallowed parquet floor with the dead spots over the previous 4 decades but this would be the first playoff game that it was Reggie’s team. Was he still in his “big brother” Larry’s shadow? Sure, but tonight was the first step in him creating his own chapter in Boston Celtics lore. He was the team captain, the engine, and their leader. As he went, so went the team.

The jump ball went up and Reggie Lewis immediately went on the attack. After a Hornets miss, Robert Parish grabbed the rebound and passed to Sherman Douglass who gunned the ball down the court to Reggie Lewis in stride who took off like he was shot out of a cannon. He went right at Kendall Gill in the paint, drove into him and attempted a shot which Kendall blocked. He came down with ball, got right under the basket, gathered himself, then went right back up for a layup over Alonzo Mourning.

Next possession, he got the ball, streaked down the court hunting for Kendall Gill then stuck a jumper over his outstretched arm. The very next time down the court, Reggie got the ball and blew right by Kendall Gill on his way to the hoop. He went for the layup, drew contact from Alonzo Mourning yet again but finished off the backboard. It was clear Reggie Lewis wanted to send everyone a message and kill the narrative Kendall Gill could stop him once and for all. Next time, Reggie got the ball from Sherman Douglass in the paint, now Larry Johnson was guarding him. No matter, Reggie still elevated and stuck a leaning jumper over him before he could even leave his feet to contest the shot. Reggie knocked down two free throws after blowing by Kendall Gill on another drive and getting fouled on his shot by Alonzo Mourning. He scored 10 points in only 3 game minutes and 10 of the Celtics’ first 12 points. This was an inspired performance, possibly one for the ages in an arena that had seen the greatest ever.

At about 5:34 into the game, Reggie was running along the left wing as the action was going straight up the middle of the court. Robert Parish grabbed a Hornets miss, passed the ball to the point guard Sherman Douglas and made it down the middle of the court. Alaa Abdelnaby was ahead about 10 feet headed towards the right as Kevin Gamble shed Larry Johnson then ran towards the ball where he caught a pass from Douglass, cut to the hoop drawing attention from Alonzo Mourning just to drop off a clean pass to Robert Parish who threw down a dunk to tie the score at 16.

However, what they didn’t see and some of the fans reacted to — others cheered for the dunk — was Reggie Lewis staggering around the three point line with no one near him before he collapsed on the court face first in front of a momentarily stunned Johnny Newman. He began to go near Reggie to check on him, but Robert Paris had slipped behind him and scored so Newman left to help.

Reggie started to slowly recover. He was seated in a stretching position, looking like he was trying to get his bearings as play continued without him. Eventually, play stopped and longtime Boston Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte made it to the court to check on Reggie then escort him to the sidelines. Celtics Joe Kleine, Xavier McDaniel, and Kevin McHale all went over and patted him on the back or went to check on the captain as he headed to the bench.

Reggie was out of the game for a while but they assessed he was lightheaded due to dehydration which caused the initial fainting spell. He was alert and expressed the want to get back on the court. He was ready to help his squad win this game, his first one as the leader of the Boston Celtics. He was 4 for 6 from the floor with 10 points and the game was still close. He hadn’t gone at Kendall Gill enough to drill into everyone’s heads he wasn’t a match for him.

When Reggie got back in the game, he continued his assault on Gill. On one play, Kevin Gamble passes him the ball on the far side of the court near the three point line with Gill in front of him. He drove towards the middle of the court, Gill backed off some after having been burnt several times on Reggie’s drives already that night just for Lewis to pull up on a dime and stick a lean back jumper right over his hand. In the 3rd quarter, in a close game Reggie had Gill so shook he fouled him on another pull up jumper. Reggie hit one free throw. On another trip down court, Reggie went to the low post with Gill on him and called for the ball from Sherman Douglas. Reggie took two dribbles to the center of the court with his back to the basket before shooting a turnaround jumper over Gill that rolled around the rim and went in.

Reggie had post position with Gill on his back near the same spot, Sherman Douglas got him the ball but this time Gill was ready and he tipped the entry pass away. Reggie recovered the ball about 8 feet from where he wanted to catch it. He turns to Gill, dribbles to his left then tries a fadeaway jumper 5 feet from his desired spot. It missed and came down into Dell Curry’s hands before Reggie enters the frame and grabs the offensive rebound from him, runs to the opposite end of the court behind Robert Parish who sealed him off from the closest defender Alonzo Mourning and stuck the jumper. That made basket put the Celtics up 70–59 with just over 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and it would turn out to be the last bucket Reggie Lewis ever scored in his NBA career.

Reggie Lewis finished the game with 17 points, 2 rebounds (both offensive), 1 assist and 1 block in 13 minutes. He shot 7 for 11 from the floor — one of his misses was a three pointer — and 3 for 4 from the free throw line. He absolutely torched Kendall Gill in the process and led the Boston Celtics to a 112–101 Game 1 win in front of the Boston Garden crowd. Things would take a quick turn after the game was over. Questions arose over the team doctor Arnold Scheller allowing Reggie to even enter the game again since he was pulled for good in the 3rd quarter due to still feeling lightheaded and/or woozy.

Next, we revisit Boston Celtics CEO Dave Gavitt essentially interrogating Scheller over clearing Reggie to play in the 2nd half. We need to remember that the image of Hank Gathers collapsing during a conference tournament game vs. University Of Portland on March 4th, 1990 was fresh in everyone’s minds. Gathers also struggled to get back up and ultimately died at the hospital later on. Why everyone was hesitant to rush Reggie back out on the court was everyone remembers that Hank Gathers collapsed during a game months earlier, was prescribed Inderal after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and cleared to play yet again. Gathers began to reduce the dosage of the drug because a side effect was fatigue. His lethargic play was hindering his draft stock so he made an adjustment that allowed him to play like his old self.

What’s even scarier is after interviewing Lewis, he revealed that he’d felt dizzy or lightheaded somewhere between 5 or 6 times over the two months leading up to his Game 1 collapse on the court. Most notably, Reggie claimed he felt dizzy and disoriented during a road game in Miami back on March 24th, 1993. Why this was all the more disconcerting is that night Reggie had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 12 assists and a steal in a 115–109 win vs. the Heat powered by the Celtics outscoring the opponents 32 to 23 in the 4th quarter. If Reggie could play at this high a level while feeling discomfort and not tell his teammates, support staff or coaching staff because he didn’t want to let down his team then it fell upon the team to step in and protect him.

This is the same man who once played through the pain with a broken hand without informing anyone while he was at Northeastern because he knew he was the squad’s best hope at reaching the NCAA Tournament. Much like Hank Gathers, Reggie was playing for a lot. He had a brand new baby son, he was finally the leader of the Boston Celtics playing with Kevin McHale in his final season and an aging Robert Parish. He had another big superstar contract in the offing in a couple of seasons plus potential endorsement deals at stake. If he had a heart issue, that could end his career coming almost 7 years after the death of Len Bias with guaranteed payments stopping after the 1995–96 season ends. A lot was at stake and what transpired over the next three months made this story even more of a tragedy.

Of course, without Reggie the Boston Celtics lost 3 straight games — two of them by one point — resulting in a 1st Round playoff exit to an expansion team. A double overtime 99–98 loss, a 119–89 blowout loss, and a heartbreaking 104–103 loss featuring a frantic comeback where the Celtics hit 11 straight shots and even took the lead late with the ball to close out the game before turning it over so it ended on a last second jumper by Alonzo Mourning. Sure, there was the non call of a goaltend on Kevin McHale’s alley oop play to Dee Brown with 0.4 seconds left that would’ve won the game. No matter, as nothing was going to save the fortunes of the Boston Celtics going forward without Reggie Lewis.

To recap, the Boston Celtics had the opportunity to draft two generational talents in back to back years following an NBA championship. One died before he could even don a Celtics jersey and the other gave us only 6 years but was well on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats of the all-time greatest NBA franchise. It took the Boston Celtics almost another decade to become a championship contender again and 15 years before they raised another banner to the rafters in TD Garden.

Boston Garden is long gone. Reggie Lewis wasn’t an available player on “NBA Jam: Tournament Edition” and after he passed away on July 27th, 1993 they weren’t going to produce or sell anymore Reggie Lewis jerseys. There were Reggie Lewis murals all over the city dedicated to one of Boston’s most beloved athletes. The inner city embraced him as one of us. He gave turkeys to the less fortunate at Thanksgiving, he regularly visited the Boys & Girls Clubs in South End, Roxbury, and Dorchester. Neighborhood kids who’d even swear at Area D & Area E Boston Police would watch their language around Reggie Lewis out of respect. Seeing him rock the kelly green of the Boston Celtics after playing for Northeastern University was a dream come true as a kid growing up in Boston. We remember Reggie still rocking his Dunbar Poets jacket walking around the South End/Lower Roxbury and we still saw him in the community as an NBA superstar.

I make it a point to tell the often overly critical, cynical, entitled Boston Celtics fans to appreciate every moment they get to experience Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum play together because we were robbed of ever seeing Len Bias and Reggie Lewis between the 1987–88 and 1992–93 seasons and witness how they might have changed NBA history.

Damb, 30 years just flew by…