24 Years 'Without Bias'

"It's Len Bias. . . . He's not breathing right," one of his closest friends, a Maryland dropout named Brian Tribble, told the dispatcher in a shaky voice. "You've got to bring him back to life."

The call was made just 48 hours after the best player to ever come through the University of Maryland, Len Bias, was made the number 2 overall pick of the 1986 draft by the Boston Celtics. Bias was a complete forward. In fact, he was considered to be the most NBA ready player in college basketball. He played an above-the-rim style of game, which drew comparisons to a second-year player by the name of Michael Jordan.

The Celtics knew this. At Bias's funeral, Red Auerbach told the mourning crowd that he had planned on drafting him the moment he put on that Maryland uniform. And if you don't believe that, the Celtics traded Gerald Henderson and cash to the Seattle Super Sonics for their no. 2 overall pick in 1986. The Celtics made that trade in 1984. Bostonians were still on the honeymoon from their 16th NBA title when they heard the news that they got the best player in college ball. It would be two days later that they'd find out Bias would never be stepping foot on the historic parquet floor of the Boston Garden.

For Bias, being drafted marked the culmination of hundreds of gassers, thousands of shots, millions of minutes. A graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, MD, Bias immediately took the Terps by surprise with his incredible vertical leap, dynamic scoring skill, and the ability to create scoring opportunity. Bias would go on to average 16.4 points and 5.7 rebounds on his way to winning the ACC Athlete of the Year (1986), ACC Player of the Year (86, 1987) and a 1986 first team All-American.

And it was two days after that culmination that it was all taken away. He returned to his dorm from an off-campus party at 3 a.m. on June 19th. At 3:30 a.m., Bias fell in to convulsions. He took a dose of cocaine and mixed it with alcohol at the party. At 8 a.m. on June 20th, Len Bias was pronounced dead due to a cardiac arrythmia related to cocaine usage. It was presumably his first time using cocaine.

Red Auerbach would go on to say that the city of Boston hadn't been so shaken up since the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Bias was supposed to be the bridge from the original Big Three to a new generation of Celtic domination. He was truly an inside-outside forward. He had a Larry Bird-esque jumper; perfect form, high release, a sharp flick of the wrist--just a gorgeous shot to watch. He had the power of Dominique Wilkins; rocking every rim with a thunderous roar that reverberated across the arenas.

ESPN has been airing their "30 for 30" special all month long; a look at the 30 best sports documentaries ever produced (i.e. Wayne Gretzky moving to L.A., the death of the USFL, the return of Muhammad Ali). Tonight they are airing the Len Bias story entitled "Without Bias". It airs at 8 p.m. and I suggest everyone take a look at this tragic story.