Hi guys so this may be a long shot but is anyone willing to sell their Len Bias jersey from the student game? My dad is a really really big fan since he grew up watching him play. I was hoping to find him a jersey as something for Christmas since I wasn’t able to go to the game. It would be awesome to surprise him with it. Thanks!!
Unfortunately they didn’t get to speak the man himself
Unless we’re talking about specifically within Bill’s brain… but otherwise no he’s not. Easily my least favorite part of that promo cause who tf talks about Len Bias aside from Bill and niche basketball commentators?
Introduction: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT6722888254.mp3
This is the story of Len Bias: University of Maryland phenom, second pick of the 1986 draft to the Celtics, and just two days later, one of the most tragic and shocking deaths in sports history. Over the next seven episodes, we’ll investigate how Bias’s death changed the trajectory of NBA history, sparked America’s cocaine panic, and made a lasting impact in the world of sports—and far beyond.
Host: Jordan Ritter Conn
Producers: Hannah Beal, Isaac Lee, Noah Malale, and Bobby Wagner
Production Assistant: Isaiah Blakely
#1. "Just About Superman”: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT8437054766.mp3
By his senior year at the University of Maryland, Len Bias was thriving. He was perhaps the best college basketball player in the country, earning burgeoning Michael Jordan comparisons, and going second overall to the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA draft. In this episode, we set the stage for how Len Bias, the Maryland kid, became Len Bias, the basketball phenom; how a dark premonition weighed on his mother in the months leading up to his death; and how one night in 1986 left an imprint on American culture that lingers to this day.
#2. “He’s Gone”: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT2970290003.mp3
On June 17, 1986, Len Bias was picked second overall in the NBA draft. He was the next chapter in the book that was the 1980s Boston Celtics dynasty. Then, just two days later on June 19, 1986, he was dead of cocaine intoxication. In this episode, we talk about the 48 hours leading up to one of the sports world’s most crushing losses.
#3. “One Time, I Was Gone”: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT3496627006.mp3
In this episode, we examine the life and career of Spencer Haywood, a basketball Hall of Famer and one of the sport’s biggest stars of the 1970s. Haywood spent the latter half of his career battling a cocaine addiction at a time when the league lacked both an understanding and a policy for how to deal with a growing drug problem. We explore the climate around cocaine in basketball in the lead-up to the mid-'80s, and how that climate informed the public’s reaction to Len Bias’s death.
#4. “They Weren’t Grown Men”: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT1598432437.mp3
Before the fallout from Len Bias’s death could ripple through society, the facts surrounding the night of his death had to be established. So why was that so difficult? In this episode, we examine Brian Tribble’s trial on cha
... keep reading on reddit ➡If Len Bias didn't pass away, how would the next 5 years have went for the NBA. I still think the Lakers take the title in '87. Then, the Celtics win in '88 & '89. Pistons break through in '90 and the Bulls win in '91. It would have been interesting to see how they build around Bias once Bird and McHale retired.
It was a really well done and thoughtful piece of journalism. As someone who’s pretty young, I had no real idea who Len bias was besides that Celtics fans would always talk about how good they could’ve been if he didn’t die. Having that podcast go through his death, and the giant echoing repercussions that swept the nation was super interesting.
Anyone have any other good podcasts to reccomend? They don’t have to be basketball related.
After listening to Adam McKay's podcast and seeing BS launch a new Len Bias podcast, it made me remember an article I read a long time ago about Len Bias' potential in the NBA. Link below.
TLDR: (from the end of the article, not me) I'm not saying he would be a bust or even that it would have been impossible for him to be a star, but I am saying that we might have allowed Bias' tragic and untimely passing to distort the way we viewed his potential. Just like anyone who died before their time, there's the tendency to idealize the person and put them up on a pedestal, projecting onto them everything we wished and hoped they could someday be.
Anyway, thought some folks would find this a worthwhile read. Not trying to trash anyone who thinks he would have been a star and it's truly impossible to know. But I have noticed that every time someone mentions Bias, they include the thought that he was a no-doubt generational talent. This was fascinating to me when I first read it and I appreciate someone trying to inject some objectivity into the story.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/indexf7b7.html?p=4011
Anyone ever find out the answer?
It would be cool to draft Len Bias to your team in real players mode.
Len Bias would have been a big help for the team to win more championships for the rest of the Bird/McHale/Parish era.
