Len Bias

Yes, it has now been 20-years since Len Bias died from a cocaine overdose. The University of Maryland product was just chosen by the Celtics with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft (courtesy of trading Gerald Henderson to Seattle) and was destined to lead the Celtics, coming off of winning the 1986 NBA Title, to even more championships. What would have happened if Lenny Bias lived? No one knows. Celtic fans, Maryland fans, basketball fans -- they all love to wax poetic about the promised greatness and despite some hyperbole, most of it seemed probable. From what I have heard, read, and seen (I wasn't even 5-years-old the day Bias died), Len Bias could do no wrong on the basketball court. He was tall, strong, fast, athletic, and talented on a level that few players ever reached. Bias was the total package -- but the package was never delivered. The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN ... they all have stories on this sad anniversary today. Read them. Read them all. Because sometimes it's fun to imagine what might have been while we forget what actually happened.