Former LSU basketball player Wayne Sims has tragically died unexpectedly early Wednesday morning. The 54-year-old was a four-year standout under coach Dale Brown from 1987-91 and is one of just nine Tigers to participate in four NCAA tournaments.
His former head coach, Dale Brown, was among those to mourn the former forward’s passing.
“I don’t know anybody that didn’t love Wayne Sims,” Brown said in a statement from the school. “Walk-ons and some of the best stars have all called me. He was loved by everybody.”
His son, Wayde, was gunned down after he tried to intervene in a street fight that happened after a concert in 2018. This family has seen its fair share of heartbreak and not this news just makes it so much worse.
Sims averaged 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds during four seasons with LSU. As a sophomore, he would start 32 games and averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 boards for a team featuring Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Ricky Blanton.
His son, Wayde, played two seasons for LSU before he was gunned down at age 20.
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Wayne and his wife had established a foundation in Wayde’s name to raise money for projects in Baton Rouge.
We send thoughts and prayers to the Sims family as they now have to go through yet another tragic event in their family. We can only hope that Wayne’s wife has a good support system to deal with her mental health as she has to transition her life after losing her son and husband within years of each other.
