![]() You can see the creativity when you watch him on the court inventive methods of getting the ball into the bucket, whether that was an assist to a team-mate through the legs of an opposing player, or shifting his body in awkward positions when flying to the rim. As he was developing, he was able to discover the hidden abilities within him." "He was the type of person who strived for perfection - he didn't like stuff halfway. He had that eye for putting things together and he was always meticulous about his appearance. "When he was in college, he loved interior design. "He loved creativity and could see the beauty in things that most people couldn't," Bias' mother, Dr Lonise Bias tells BBC Sport. ![]() He was one of four siblings who all attended the same elementary school, theatre school and high school. Leonard Kevin Bias was born on 18 November 1963 in Landover, Maryland, a small town on the outskirts of Washington DC. Len Bias faces off against Michael Jordan during their college days at Maryland and North Carolina respectively But, as Maryland secured a 106-94 win, it was clear Bias was going to bring Jordan trouble.Īs the era of Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson was drawing to a close, could this be the next rivalry for a new generation of basketball fans? Little did spectators know that Jordan and Bias would never get the chance to renew their rivalry on the professional stage. Bias, on the other hand, was just a freshman. He had landed the game-winning shot when North Carolina snatched a thrilling national title win the previous year. It came in February 1983, when Bias, playing for University of Maryland, took on the University of North Carolina and their own phenomenon, Jordan.ĭespite being a 19-year-old in his first year on the team, Bias struck the more impressive figure, bigger and more athletic than Jordan, and a potentially more dominant force on the court. It is perhaps the most memorable moment from Bias' most memorable game. The Washington Post journalist watching in the stands described Bias "defying physics by hanging in the air for about three seconds, and unleashing a 20-megaton dunk that sent the overflow crowd rocking in ecstasy". Bias soars above Daugherty, seizes the ball and buries it through the hoop in a single, smooth movement. But Bias, still a freshman, is too strong, too explosive. One of North Carolina's finest, Brad Daugherty, a future NBA all-star, is under it. His team-mate Jeff Adkins spots him and floats the ball towards the rim. Len Bias shakes hands with head coach KC Jones, who had just guided the Boston Celtics to a second NBA title in three yearsīias drifts wide, unnoticed by the defence, and calls for the ball. His death shook basketball, but the reverberations went far further, touching America's street corners, courtrooms and highest offices for years after. Two days after being drafted to the Celtics, Bias died from a cocaine overdose. He was explosive, athletic, destined for superstardom - it should have been just the start of the showreel. He had already mastered a silky-smooth jump shot other players spend years crafting. ![]() Grainy film shows a glimpse of how Bias had built his reputation to this point. The green Celtics cap thrust into his hand represented ambition and expectation for a side built around ageing champions.Īs wild cheers rung out, he hugged his dad before striding up on stage to shake NBA commissioner David Stern's hand, cameras trained on his every move. The Boston Celtics, who had just won a second NBA Championship in three years but secured an early pick via a deal with the Seattle Sonics two years earlier, added him to their roster. Pundits had already labelled him the best prospect around - better even than 1984's third pick, Michael Jordan.īias duly went high and early. ![]() At the NBA draft of 1986, Bias was 22 years old.
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