Basketball connects people around the world. The NBA game is heavily followed from all corners and yet it also comes to a standstill whenever a player who’s still active in the league suddenly dies despite being at the height of their careers.
While death may seem permanent, their contributions and legacies will always be remembered by the people who love the sport.
In today’s list, we will list ten NBA players who died while still active in the league. These players were mostly at the peak of their NBA careers before fate claimed their lives.
Bryce Dejean-Jones (1992-2016) – New Orleans Pelicans
Age of death: 23
After the undrafted Dejean-Jones impressed the Pelicans when his two ten-day contracts ended in February 2016, the team signed him to a standard three-year deal.
Sadly, Dejean-Jones was shot and killed on May 28, 2016, after barging inside an apartment that he thought belonged to his girlfriend. The apartment owner, acting in self-defense, thought he was getting robbed and shot through the bedroom door, striking Dejean-Jones in the abdomen.
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Nick Vanos (1963-1987) – Phoenix Suns
Age of death: 23
Vanos served as a respectable backup big man for the Phoenix Suns from 1985 to 1987. He started 14 games for the Suns in the 1986-1987 NBA Season.
On August 16, 1987, during the NBA’s offseason, Vanos, his fiancée and 148 of the 149 passengers of Northwest Airlines Flight 255, died as the plane crashed shortly after take off from Detroit. He remains the only active NBA player to die in a plane crash.
Rick Berry (1964-1989) – Sacramento Kings
Age of death: 24
Berry had a solid rookie season with the Kings, averaging 11 PPG and 3.1 RPG in the 1988-1989 NBA season. He was projected to be part of Sacramento’s core going forward as he displayed great potential as a player.
On August 14, 1989, Berry took his own life and left a suicide note that specifically stated that he felt he was not loved by his wife and strongly sensed that she was just taking advantage of his newfound fame.
Jason Collier (1977-2005) – Atlanta Hawks
Age of death: 28
Collier started his NBA career in 2000 and served as Atlanta’s backup center from 2003 to 2005. A late bloomer, Collier has shown potential to be a starter at times for the Hawks.
However, Collier’s career was cut short as he suffered a fatal heart on October 15, 2005. He died en route to the hospital. An autopsy after his death reported that he had an enlarged heart and it was above the expected limits a human body could handle.
Eddie Griffin (1982-2007) – Minnesota Timberwolves
Age of death: 25
Drafted as the 7th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Griffin was named in the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team in 2002. He had an up-and-down career in the league and was playing as a backup big man for the Wolves from 2005 to 2007.
Griffin died on August 17, 2007, as a result of a car crash. Police determined that he ignored a railroad warning which led to his vehicle being struck by a moving train. His body was badly burned and was later identified by dental records.
Bobby Phills (1969-2000) – Charlotte Hornets
Age of death: 30
Phills was a member of the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team in 1996. He was known as a defensive stopper and a deadly three-point shooter, averaging a .39% clip from behind the arc throughout his career.
On January 12, 2000, Phills died in a car accident in North Carolina. The crash happened in the middle of the season. Phills and David Wesley, both teammates with the Hornets, were reportedly driving recklessly before the accident happened. His jersey number was retired by the Hornets soon after his death.
Malik Sealy (1970-2000) – Minnesota Timberwolves
Age of death: 30
Sealy started playing in the NBA in 1992. He bounced around a few teams before landing with Minnesota in 1998. He was a vital cog for the Wolves as he started 61 games in the 1999-2000 season. Sealy was also a promising actor and had a role in the 1996 movie, Eddie.
Sealy’s life was cut short when his SUV was struck by a pickup truck traveling the wrong way on May 20, 2000, in Minnesota. The accident happened shortly after Sealy left Kevin Garnett’s birthday party. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Len Bias (1963-1986) – Boston Celtics
Age of death: 22
Bias was drafted as the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. There was significant hype about his arrival at Boston as the team was in the middle of their dynasty in the 1980s. He was seen as a potential successor for Larry Bird due to his size, skills and talent.
However, two days after being drafted, Bias died because of a drug overdose in Maryland, his alma mater. He reportedly had a seizure and collapsed on the floor while talking to his college teammates. He never played a game in the NBA.
Reggie Lewis (1965-1993) – Boston Celtics
Age of death: 27
A year after Len Bias’ death, the Celtics drafted Lewis as the 22nd pick of the 1987 NBA Draft. While his career started slowly, Lewis began to show potential within the next few years and became an all-star in 1992.
Lewis suffered a fatal heart attack on July 27, 1993, during an off-season practice in Massachusetts. Just a couple of months prior to his death, Lewis suddenly collapsed on the court in Game 1 of the Celtics’ playoff series against the Charlotte Hornets. He got back up on his own and sought medical advice the next day. He went against the advice of several doctors to consider retirement and decided to resume his NBA career without medical clearance.
Drazen Petrovic (1964-1993) – New Jersey Nets
Age of death: 28
Petrovic was widely considered one of the greatest European players in the history of the game. While he had a slow start at the early stages of his NBA career, Petrovic found his groove and shot the lights out for the Nets from 1991 to 1993.
Petrovic died in a traffic accident on June 7, 1993 in Germany. He was reportedly asleep as a passenger in a car and was not wearing a seatbelt. A truck driver lost control due to poor visibility on the road, crashing into several vehicles on the highway. The basketball world was stunned by his sudden demise as he was idolized both in Europe and the NBA.
