Roy Tarpley, the former Dallas Mavericks star center whose NBA career was cut short by drug abuse, died Friday at age 50.
According to a Tarrant County medical examiner's report, Tarpley died Friday afternoon at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital in Arlington, near Dallas. No cause of death was given in the online report.
''If Roy had stayed healthy, he could have been one of the top-50 players ever,'' Brad Davis, the Mavericks' radio analyst and player-development coach who played with Tarpley, told The Dallas Morning News. ''He could do it all - shoot, score, rebound, pass and defend. We're all sorry to hear of his passing.''
I remember thinking it was a bit rich when he sued the NBA back in 2007, claiming discrimination because they never lifted his lifetime ban after he completed rehabilitation. Considering that the rehab probably saved him from dying even younger, and he was the one who broke the rules and brought the situation upon himself, I found it to be a bit ridiculous.
Still, it's a shame that drugs became such a problem for him, as they have done a lot of people, famous or not. He's not exactly on par with Len Bias as far as NBA tragedies are concerned, but he's still something of a sad what-if story.
