Former NBA and University of Florida basketball player Dwayne Schintzius died Sunday afternoon from respiratory failure. He was 43.
The 7-foot-2 Schintzius, who starred at Brandon (Fla.) High School east of Tampa, had been battling complications from a bone marrow transplant he received as treatment for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, the Tampa Tribune reported.
Schintzius played at Florida from 1987-90 and helped lead the Gators to their first three NCAA tournament appearances in school history (the first two were later vacated by the NCAA). Schintzius is sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,624 points and still holds the school record for blocked shots (272). He was named an All-American by The Associated Press, UPI and the Sporting News in 1989 after averaging 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
— Reported by Michael DiRocco of GatorNation/ESPN
Schintzius still became a first-round NBA pick, the 24th overall selection by the San Antonio Spurs in 1990. He also played for the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, averaging 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds overall. But injuries haunted his nine-season NBA career. Off the court, Schintzius played the role of a Russian basketball player in the movie “Eddie,” a film that starred Whoopi Goldberg. Schintzius also played himself in an episode of the cable television series Arliss. He later worked in sports marketing while maintaining his free-spirited attitude. He recently published a fitness book.
— Reported by the Tampa Tribune
