Basketball Fan
01-09-2015, 09:41 PM
http://abc7.com/sports/ex-maverick-roy-tarpley-dies-at-50/469430/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
EX-MAVERICK ROY TARPLEY DIES AT 50
Former Dallas Mavericks forward and center Roy Tarpley, whose star fizzled due to drug and alcohol problems, died Friday afternoon. He was 50.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner did not list a cause of death for Tarpley, who passed away at a hospital in Arlington, Texas.
The 6-foot-11 Tarpley, the sixth overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft out of Michigan, earned the league's sixth man of the year award in his second season. That was the final full season of Tarpley's career due to suspensions and an eventual lifetime ban from the NBA due to driving while intoxicated arrests and violating the league's drug policy.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted out his condolences.
Tarpley, who possessed a tremendous blend of athleticism and power, averaged 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds in 280 career games. He was phenomenal during the 1987-88 Mavs' run to the Western Conference finals, where they lost in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 17.9 points and 12.9 rebounds.
However, Tarpley's off-court issues were a driving force in the darkest era of the franchise's history, a span that included 10 consecutive losing seasons and 12 years without a playoff victory. Tarpley was suspended three times over the next three years. His third suspension lasted until the 1994-95 season, when Tarpley played 55 games before receiving a lifetime ban for violating terms of his aftercare program.
Tarpley, who played in several overseas and minor leagues, filed a lawsuit against the NBA and Mavs in 2007 in which he claimed the league and the team violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to reinstate him. The parties reached an undisclosed settlement in 2009.
EX-MAVERICK ROY TARPLEY DIES AT 50
Former Dallas Mavericks forward and center Roy Tarpley, whose star fizzled due to drug and alcohol problems, died Friday afternoon. He was 50.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner did not list a cause of death for Tarpley, who passed away at a hospital in Arlington, Texas.
The 6-foot-11 Tarpley, the sixth overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft out of Michigan, earned the league's sixth man of the year award in his second season. That was the final full season of Tarpley's career due to suspensions and an eventual lifetime ban from the NBA due to driving while intoxicated arrests and violating the league's drug policy.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted out his condolences.
Tarpley, who possessed a tremendous blend of athleticism and power, averaged 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds in 280 career games. He was phenomenal during the 1987-88 Mavs' run to the Western Conference finals, where they lost in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 17.9 points and 12.9 rebounds.
However, Tarpley's off-court issues were a driving force in the darkest era of the franchise's history, a span that included 10 consecutive losing seasons and 12 years without a playoff victory. Tarpley was suspended three times over the next three years. His third suspension lasted until the 1994-95 season, when Tarpley played 55 games before receiving a lifetime ban for violating terms of his aftercare program.
Tarpley, who played in several overseas and minor leagues, filed a lawsuit against the NBA and Mavs in 2007 in which he claimed the league and the team violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to reinstate him. The parties reached an undisclosed settlement in 2009.