photo: photobucket.com
IF!
It’s the most far reaching two letter word in the English language.
And when referring to the late, great Len Bias, we can’t help but insert the word into almost every sentence. If he didn’t die, Michael Jordan might’ve been the second best player of his generation! If he didn’t die, the championship legacy of the Boston Celtics might’ve hummed along uninterrupted into the ’90s! If he didn’t die, he would’ve taken Reebok to the same heights in the sneaker market that Nike enjoyed with MJ! If he didn’t die, he would have been the greatest player ever! The list goes on.
One thing I can say with absolute certainty is that Leonard Kevin Bias was, unequivocally, the greatest talent to ever come out of the ACC. He might’ve been the best forward to ever grace the college game. Bar none, and I sincerely mean none, he was the most dynamic player I’d ever seen.
And like everyone else with a love and infatuation with our beautiful game, we experienced an indescribable sadness in the summer of ‘86 when Bias passed away. It was as if he was our brother, our friend.
photo:si.com
And to this day, those who lived through the Len Bias tragedy will never be the same. June 19th, 1986. My mom’s birthday. The world stood still. And cried! Because the loss can’t even be described with the word devastating.
It was comparable to the older generations’ feelings toward President Kennedy’s assasination in ‘67. It sounds absurd to compare the untimely passing of the leader of the free world with a 22-year-old basketball player but it’s no exaggeration. People felt those deaths with every ounce of their nerve and sinew.
photo: si.com
With an otherworldly flight game, immense physical stature and his ability to create the most powerful beauty on the court, Len Bias’ game embodied the very best of the playground.
He learned the game right across the D.C. line in Landover, Maryland. His family had moved there from the the D.C. projects. The Columbia Park Rec Center was his oasis. Known to friends and family by his childhood nickname “Frosty”, Bias was intially drawn to the gridiron where he dreamed of being a wide receiver. As he grew into a tall, lanky pre-teen, basketball took over. He tried out for his junior high team but got cut. With his body’s growth outpacing his coordination, his first forays on the court were relatively awkward.
But the sting of not making the team ignited his inner fire.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he once said about not making his JHS team. “Right then I was determined to show people I could play the game.”
He lived on the asphalt and at the rec center, working on every aspect of the game.
“I’ve always worked harder when people said I couldn’t shoot,” he told Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun. “I worked on my shot. When they said I wasn’t a ball handler, I worked on that.”
Through hard work, he eventually overcame his clumsiness and butter fingers. Lee Madkins, the Columbia Park Rec Center Director, would unlock the doors for Lenny early in the morning. Madkins would return much later to lock up. Sometimes he’d find the young man asleep on the exercise mats after the strenuous solitary practices.
photo: myjumpspace.ning.com
By the time he was 15, Bias was jumping out of the gym. While the other skills were marinating, he’d already perfected the above the rim repertoire. The dunk was his early signature, and he dominated with it. On his first trip away from home with an AAU team, Bias went to Philly and demoralized cats three years his senior.
“You’re looking at an All-American!” the young fella screamed. Soon, the jimmy started to fully form, he expanded his range and understanding of the game’s rhythms as the flow became instinctual. He bagan to bang the iron. And once the weights inspired his musculature, IT WAS OVER!!!
By his senior year at Northwestern HS, all the big time coaches were fighting for him. NC State was one of his personal favorites because his homies that he balled with in the D.C. area parks and summer leagues - Derek Whittenburg, Sidney Lowe and Thurl Bailey- had gone there. He liked the late coach Jim Valvano, but Maryland ultimately won out because moms asked him to stay close to home. Had he gone to NC State, he’d have been a freshman on their ‘83 championship team.
Cole Field House was a short ride from the crib. He’d sold ice cream there during Terp games while still in high school. Another homeboy that he ran pickup with was Adrian Branch, who’d attended the powerhouse DeMatha HS program. Lenny would slip into Cole Field House and run with Branch, who took him under his wing.
“I raised him,” Branch would smile and tell everybody as he watched his young fella ripping the rims off.
photo: espn.com
Len got busy at the summertime HS all-star games like the Derby Classic in Louisville. At the prestigious Capital Classic, with another phenomenal D.C. product named Johnny Dawkins running the point, Lenny took the MVP. It was one of the few times the local team, comprised of area talent, defeated the national team with players from all over the country.
He struggled adjusting to the college game as a freshman, but in the final game that year, he held his own against Clyde Drexler and the U. of Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma crew. He went back into the gym and on the asphalt during the off-season, blindfolding himself to perfect his handle. He was so serious, he took ballet lessons to get his foot game in order.
photo: pressboxonline.com
And he came back as a soph in ‘84 as a man on a mission. Peep the matchup that year against Jordan -
He dropped 26 on Duke in the ACC Championship and was named the tourney’s MVP. Next year, ACC player of the Year. In ‘86, he did it again, in addition to making everybody’s first team All-American squad.
The signature moment was at the Dean Dome, against UNC his senior year, when his instinctive basketball genius was on full display. He’d already torched Duke for 41 a month prior. In the Terps 77-72 upset of the superior Tar Heels, their first loss ever at their sparkling new palace, Bias scored 31.
Near the end of the tight game, Bias splashed the nets with another smooth jumper. On the inbounds pass, he jumps Kenny Smith out of nowhere, steals the rock and goes straight up in one fluid motion to deliver what’s been called “The Jesus Dunk.” Rocketing off the floor, he spun, threw it down backwards with two hands and then extended his arms on the descent back to earth.
“God was with us tonight,” said one of his teammates. “And God was Lenny Bias.”
But Bias, we would soon find out, was not some superman who was immune to life’s disasters while solely soaking in its triumphs. A few short months after “The Jesus Dunk”, after being selected by the Celtics with the #2 pick in the ‘86 draft, he was gone.
His death would become the most socially influential moment in the history of modern sports. In Part II of The Playground Gave us Len Bias, we’ll examine why.
THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
illest says:
you just had to go there, ali. lenny was so unbelievable and polished. sometimes its like did he exists? because he was there. he got drafted. then he was gone. ill never forget that blue cover. those damn white lines.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
ali says:
had to go there, illest. the stain has never fully disappeared. but the genius was breathtaking. those of us who were priveleged to witness it in the moment, seeing len do his thing, we were blessed.
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
ali-
you outdid yourself on this one, b. never knew len had been cut and all his playground exploits. lovely. there’s a documentary being worked on about him, check the trailer:
http://www.bouncemag.com/2008/03/06/len-bias-movie-trailer/
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
illest says:
i remember first seeing that trailer. hard to watch.
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
ali says:
bob,
that trailer is powerful. i’ll be the first in line to see the movie.
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Sean Couch says:
Ali:
Len Bias was one of the most explosive players of his time. James Worthy and Bias went at it in the ACC. I felt Bias was
a better perimeter player in college than Worthy although Worthy in transition was a thing of beauty. Boston would have had an extended dynasty with him. Len tragically got caught in that bad association net and is an example for all kids to keep away from drugs. That documentary should be mandatory for all hs and colleges in this country.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Gerald Narciso says:
Len Bias was before my time, but looking at those highlights…Im speechless. Especially that “Jesus Dunk”. Are you kidding me? Being as big, strong and explosive as he was, he kinda reminds me of LeBron. great write up, cant wait for the part II!
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
ali says:
Gerald,
when i first saw lebron play when he in high school, i stopped in my tracks and actually walked to the tv screen. stared at it for a few minutes with my mouth open. he was the closest thing i’d ever seen to lenny bias.
Sean,
James Worthy, with those statue of liberty dunks in transition, wowza! one of my all-time favorite players. and the doc should be mandatory for every student in america. every choice has a consequence and len paid the ultimate price.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
I agree, I think Len Bias was the greatest athlete to ball in the ACC. His combination of skills defied belief.
Although, I am not a homer (Boston Celtics fan), I believe his presence would have enabled Boston to become a dynasty in the late eighties into the early nineties.
I had the pleasure of watching him at Celtics Rookie/Free Agent Camp in ‘85, where he scrimmaged against the Celtics top pick (Sam Vincent) and other free agent hopefuls, as a senior to be Red Auerbach Camp Counselor. He, thoroughly, dominated the camp. Red knew whom he would draft in ‘86, a year ahead of time, if presented the opportunity. If the Celtics had the top pick, instead of Philly, in ‘86, Red would have chosen Bias over Brad Daugherty.
Len’s mother, Lonise is one of the most genuine and courageous persons, that you would ever meet. She has come to Boston, on a couple of occasions, to speak to youth organizations about the dangers of drugs and the importance of creating a “positive” peer network.
I eagerly anticipate, like many of you, the Len Bias Documentary.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
ali says:
can you imagine bias’ apprenticeship under larry bird? in terms of the feel of the game, the things he would have absorbed.
how ’bout mchale’s post moves? what about dj’s defense. he could play the perimeter and the block. think he was good in college. with those mentors, he would have become a certifiable MONSTER!
October 2nd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Blk Caesar says:
To be honest guys, I think Bias would have also extended Mchale’s career.. In 87, The man of 1,000 moves in the post was having arguably his best season as a pro(starter), and then he broke a bone in his right foot, but played anyway despite doctors warning it could be career threatening and that injury slowed him down for the rest of his career(and ultimately ended it) in my opinion. Not to mention Bias maybe playing along side Reggie Lewis before his passing.. The Celtics could’ve quite possibly won 21 banners instead of 17. Its really sad when you think about what could have been.. and I hate the Celtics! so you know Bias was serious…
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
ali says:
all of those guys’ careers could’ve been prolonged - big bird, chief, mchale, ainge and dj would’ve gotten some serious rest. i couldn’t agree with you more blk ceaser.
the cupboard was pretty bare on the pine in boston, so those cats logged a lot of minutes. off the bench you had jerry doo-doo stain, (my bad jerry sichting. still mad at how ya’ll dismissed my knicks during the ’80s)and fred roberts as the 6th and 7th men. bill(my teeth are so long, they make tiger woods’ look like tic tacs) walton never got off the bench to pluck the splinters. greg kite scored more than him in boston. so len would’ve bridged the gap, prolonging individuals careers and the celtics ability to compete for the crown.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Bigg Wash aka The Original Power Point aka Points on the Package says:
I grew up playing with Len at Doc’s Gym. This dude used to do things MJ could only dream about. The death of both Len and Jay Bias was a direct result of influence Rayful Edmond had on the city’s basketball culture.
Great piece, 100 percent official!
October 5th, 2008 at 1:20 am
PFTB says:
One of basketball’s biggest loss.I couldn’t believe it when he died,it just made no sense.That whole ‘86 draft was cursed.
Ali thanks for mentioning Lee Madkins(R.I.P).His son Al and I are very good friends.Mr Madkins was a big influence to not only Len,but alot of kids in the Upper Marlboro/Landover area at the Columbia rec center.
That Maryland-NC game was crazy.Just makes you think what kinda rivalry Len & MJ would’ve had in the league.
Yes Len was just a bigger version of MJ,and as you can see by that game we were just seeing them as unfinished products.We know what the finished MJ product looked like.We could only wonder what that Len Bias product would’ve turned out to be.
October 5th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
MC says:
Mr. Lee. Your best stuff yet. Love the Terps/Tarheel coverage via Utube, wow…Bias n MJ. Forget Boston, the entire NBA would be different today had there been two during that era, instead of MJ all alone. You had to admire the work ethic. Not sure if I agree with the LBJ comparison though.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:09 am
ali says:
Big Wash,
hit me at ali@bouncemag.com
i’d love to rap with you about doc’s gym.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:22 am
ali says:
PFTB,
that ‘86 draft definitely was a microcosm of the ravages of substance abuse and excess. william bedford, chris washburn and roy tarpley never fulfilled their vast potential.
folks talk about how disappointing that draft was and it was very much so at the upper tier. but chuck person a.k.a. the rifleman, ron harper, johnny dawkins, john salley and dell curry came out in that draft. and that 2nd round, with mark price, dennis rodman, kevin duckworth (r.i.p.), david wingate, jeff hornaceck and nate mcmillan was official.
and an excellent point about the young bias and mj as unfinished products. we did see mj refine all that talent but we can’t help but be saddened knowing that with lenny, we did not get to witness the development of what could have been one of the, if not the, greatest to ever do it. imagine a advanced len bias going straight up with barkley, pippen, nique, rodman, “big game” james worthy and karl malone. MAN!
October 6th, 2008 at 9:29 am
ali says:
MC,
you’re so correct my man. the whole league would’ve taken that next step with the mj/bias rivalry succeeding bird/magic. when you watch lebron, you don’t see hints of len bias?