After the untimely passing of all-around NBA good guy Wayman Tisdale last week, it has begun to feel like the human toll of this NBA season will never end. One of the saddest parts about last season was that Celtic patriarch Red Auerbach died before he got to see Paul, Kevin, Ray, Rajon and Doc complete his franchise’s long climb back to the top of the mountain. But with Wayman’s death coming so soon after Piston legend and Dream Team coach Chuck Daly lost his fight with pancreatic cancer, the sorrow has only multiplied this year during what was already one of the most grief-stricken periods for the Association.
In addition to losing the Hall of Fame coach and NBA vet turned successful jazz musician, the League has also lost many other men who may be less familiar to some fans. On February 26, Bulls legend Johnny “Red” Kerr, who coached in Chicago for two years but truly endeared himself to millions during his 32-year stint as the franchise’s color commentator. And just hours before Kerr succumbed to prostate cancer, former Bull and three-time All-Star Norm Van Lier died in his Chicago apartment. Like Kerr, Van Lier’s heart belonged to the Bulls, and his Comcast colleague Mark Schanowski was fortunate enough to see that, even as an analyst, Van Lier’s love for this team never wavered.
“Everyone in the building does an impersonation of Norm saying, ‘Forty-eight minutes of intensity,’ ” Schanowski said. “He believed that every moment you were wearing that Chicago Bulls uniform, you had to leave it all on the court. He couldn’t accept some of today’s privileged athletes who felt they could coast.”
Schanowski remembered Van Lier challenging James Posey to a fight after the then- Miami Heat forward delivered a cheap shot to Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich during the 2006 playoffs. “Norm was offended. He said, ‘Posey, I’ll meet you outside the locker room and kick your ass,’ ” Schanowski said. “Norm always felt he represented the Bulls, and if he saw something that was not right, he was going to call the guy out.”
Outside of Chicago, the NBA also lost two of its most renowned philanthropists: Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller and Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson. Far overshadowing the controversy occurring after Miller banned Brokeback Mountain from playing in his cinema, the owner gave millions to local causes during his 24-year ownership and was admired by millions throughout Utah for his continued support. Miller, only 64, had long-struggled with type II diabetes but after a devastating heart attack last year, his body began to break down until he finally died at his home on February 20. His affect on the community was best stated by Utah Governor Jon Huntsman.
“Every citizen in our state feels a little empty today. Larry was Utah and Utah was Larry. He inspired many and served countless. We all have been made better by his extraordinary life.”
Davidson, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments during his 35-year ownership, was even more generous, donating upwards of $150 million to various educational and health care endeavors in Michigan and Israel. The 86-year-old was also fortunate enough to see both of the other franchises he owned, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lighting and the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, win championships before he died in his home on March 13 after facing a multitude of health challenges in recent years. A great perspective on Bill’s life and ownership can be found in Mitch Albom’s heartfelt Detroit Free Press obituary.
While Detroit and Chicago have certainly suffered the most, Portland has seen its own share of tragedy. Last August, two-time Trailblazer All-Star Kevin Duckworth died of heart failure. An anchor of the Clyde Drexler/Terry Porter-led teams of the late 80s/early 90s, the 44-year-old gentle giant was revered by fans and teammates alike, something evident in Blazers President Larry Miller’s expression of grief.
“Kevin will be remembered by fans as one of the most popular and recognizable players to ever wear the Blazers uniform, but to people who knew him, he’ll be remembered as one of the warmest and biggest-hearted.”
As if all this death wasn’t enough to deflate the excitement surrounding what has otherwise been one the best NBA seasons in recent memory, yesterday we learned that former Trailblazer power forward Brian Grant has Parkinson’s disease. After months of discomfort and denial about the mysterious ailment that was causing his left hand to shake involuntarily, Grant learned why a body that had formerly allowed him to out-rebound some of the largest men on the planet was now failing him. Since this shocking discovery came about in January, Grant has been privately struggling to adjust to the realities of living with Parkinson’s. I imagine that there has not been a single easy day.
But Grant doesn’t want your pity. With this public announcement comes a new stage of his life. He is no longer living in a cloud of uncertainty and shame, and is instead hoping to use his public profile to increase awareness and empower others struggling with Parkinson’s.
And in many ways, Brian Grant’s new mission and new outlook on life can be seen as the one shining light to emerge from the League’s year of loss.
On November 6, Grant was invited to attend the Trailblazer game during which they would be honoring Kevin Duckworth. And despite the embarrassment and confusion he felt about his then-undiagnosed condition, it was his desire to attend an event celebrating the life of a fallen Portland great that jump-started his desire to get better.
Grant wasn’t going to miss it, even if he was filled with dread about being in front of a Rose Garden packed with fans and former teammates who had watched his every move for three seasons — and knew a constantly jiggling left hand hadn’t been one of them.
“I hadn’t been in front of a crowd that big since I retired,” he said. “I kept trying to think about how I could disguise my hand. And I knew the players were going to see it and wonder what was up. That’s what bothered me the most. I did not want to be perceived by the players as weak.”
He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, a button-down shirt over it and a dark blazer. It was a cold December day, but he sweated through all of it. Clutching his left hand with his right to keep it still only prompted other parts of his body to start twitching — his head, his shoulders, his legs. He played it off as nervousness, admitting only to former teammate Jerome Kersey that it was a tremor and that he didn’t know the cause.
Soon after, he sought the diagnosis of a neurologist. It was Parkinson’s.
He consulted with more doctors. He changed his diet. He learned ways to control his symptoms and maintain his quality of life. He visited the Ali family. He spoke with Michael J. Fox. And while all of these things helped him revitalize his spirit and realize that this was a manageable challenge, it was the death of Wayman Tisdale, the man he replaced in the paint for the Sacramento Kings, that finally provoked Grant to divulge his secret burden to the world. Fittingly, Tisdale had just finished up his career with the Kings when Grant was drafted and arrived in Sacramento as a wide-eyed rookie with the Kings.
“Because I was coming in and he was leaving, it was always a good battle when we played after that,” Grant said. “He was always encouraging back then. He had that smile and upbeat character until the end. When I got the message that he’d died, I looked at what he must’ve been going through and thought, ‘What the hell do I have to get down about? Stand up, be a man and face this.’”
From everything I have heard about Wayman, he would be delighted to hear that even in death he was able to inspire others. And from Grant’s comments in the video below, Brian seems poised to concentrate on his new cause and put the sorrow of his recent past behind him.
Let’s hope the rest of the NBA community can find ways to do the same.
(If you would like to donate towards research for a Parkinson’s cure, head over to the Michael J. Fox Foundation website.)
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Another nice read, J.