I saw the sentence on ESPN.com this afternoon and it made me shudder:
Len Bias has been dead longer than he was alive.
Yes, it's been 22 years since Bias died shortly after being drafted by the Boston Celtics. Ironically, it took the Celtics the same amount of time -- 22 years -- to win another championship. When Bias died, Charles Barkley said it would set back the Celtics franchise at least 10 years. Who would have known that Chuck would have been just half correct.
Nevertheless, I've waxed on in the past about being a teenager and hearing the news about Bias' death while mowing our lawn in Lancaster, Pa. It truly was one of those where-were-you-when moments for me, especially since I believed then that Len Bias was the best college basketball player I ever saw.
With the passage of time and the fact that everything seemed bigger when I was younger, that believe still holds true.
Anyway, the ESPN story about Bias by Michael Weinreb is quite compelling. I found the grave photos particularly interesting because the site has become a pilgrimage area for some. In fact, Bias and his brother Jay are buried next to each other just over the Anacostia River from the Nationals new ballpark in the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Md.
There is also a documentary due out on Bias this year by filmmaker Kirk Fraser. Word is it made waves at the Sundance Film Festival.
More: Kirk Fraser - Len Bias Documentary Michael Weinreb - The Day Innocence Died (ESPN)