Len Bias: a Retrospective 25 Years After His Tragic Death

Len Bias was a 6-foot-8, 220-pound, naturally defined physical specimen with no body fat, said his roommate, Jeff Baxter.

“He was a docile person yet extremely aggressive on the court,” he said.

On June 19, 1986, Baxter awoke to his roommate, the University of Maryland basketball star, dead from a drug overdose. Just two days earlier, the Boston Celtics selected Bias with the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.

That Morning

Baxter was awakened by the news that Bias had fainted so he returned to their room to find his friend and teammate on the ground, motionless.

“He was laying on the floor and he had this gold necklace on,” Baxter recalled. “My thoughts were that the necklace was choking him.”

Paramedics were soon called to the scene and they tried to revive the basketball star but were unsuccessful.

“I stepped back,” said Baxter, “because I was in shock.”

Bias had spent the hours before his death hanging out with teammates David Gregg and Terry Long and friend Brian Tribble. An autopsy later revealed that Bias had died from cardiac arrhythmia caused by a cocaine overdose.

“I didn’t know that they had been using drugs,” said Baxter. “I knew they had been drinking but drugs were the farthest thing from my mind.”

A Rising Star

Bias was a prep standout at Northwestern High in Hyattsville where he played for Bob Wagner before signing with the Maryland basketball program and their legendary head coach, Charles “Lefty” Driesell.

Bias played in the 1982 Capital Classic, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to earn co-MVP honors along with Johnny Dawkins in the Capital All-Stars’ 82-79 victory over the United States All-Stars.

Baxter was an All-Met player at Archbishop Carroll High in Northeast Washington and was also a teammate of Bias in the 1982 Capital Classic before playing with him at Maryland. The 47-year-old had some fond memories of Bias during their tenure together in College Park.

"We would be playing and he would do something, and you would say 'did he just do that?'" Baxter recalled.

There was the time, Baxter said, when Maryland played Georgia Tech with Celtics legend Red Auerbach in attendance. Bias went up for a shot and switched hands in mid-air to prevent Georgia Tech’s John Salley from blocking the shot.

"They stopped the game for half a second, because they had to get Red Auerbach’s hat off the floor," Baxter said.

Dean Dome

There was also the time Maryland played North Carolina in Chapel Hill’s Dean Smith Center against legendary head coach Dean Smith and future NBA players Kenny Smith and Brad Daugherty.

“That whole Dean Dome experience was crazy,” Baxter said.

At halftime, Bias gave Baxter a pep talk in an attempt to motivate his roommate.

“He said you need to get some baskets,” Baxter recalled.

Bias, however, scored 35 points in Maryland’s 77-72 overtime victory, a win that marked North Carolina’s first loss in the Dean Dome and helped the Terrapins secure an NCAA Tournament bid.

“He lifted me up off the floor and said ‘that’s what I’m talking about,” Baxter said.

That win over the Tar Heels was highlighted by a signature play from Bias. After sinking a mid-range jump shot, Bias stole the inbounds pass and scored on a reverse dunk.

“The amazing thing about that [play] was that he never turned around,” Baxter said.

To this day, Bias is the only Maryland basketball player to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year award twice.

Bias also drew comparisons to former NBA superstar Michael Jordan who spent three seasons in Chapel Hill before leaving early for the 1984 NBA Draft. The two players crossed paths several times during intertwining college careers.

“I thought his jump shot was much better than Mike’s coming out of college,” said Baxter. “It would have been very interesting to see how that whole thing would have panned out.”