Lewis’ Number Retired As Friends Decry Tales
More friends of Reggie Lewis have stepped forward to denounce reports that he did drugs, but one unnamed medical source said Lewis regularly used cocaine to improve his game.
A former teammate who lives in California told The Associated Press that members of the Northeastern University basketball squad used marijuana and cocaine, but Lewis never joined in. The story jibed with comments from other members of the team, who have admitted doing drugs themselves, but not with Lewis.
“The team was an extremely hard-partying team,” said Ken Giavara, who played backup point guard at Northeastern in 1986-87 and runs a dry cleaning company in San Diego. “I’ve been in a room with four or five people doing cocaine or four or five people smoking marijuana and never once did Reggie Lewis take part.”
Lewis, who went on to play for the Boston Celtics, collapsed and died on July 27, 1993, while shooting baskets with friends at Brandeis University.
The Boston Herald quoted an unnamed medical source as saying Lewis admitted to a doctor that he used cocaine before every home game as a “performance enhancer.”Jan Volk, Celtics executive vice president and general manager, said the Herald account was “an incredibly bold statement to be made under the cloak of an unnamed source and an obvious violation of medical ethics. I have absolutely no knowledge of the conduct suggested.”
Amid the controversy, Lewis’ accomplishments on the basketball court were highlighted Wednesday night at Boston Garden, where his number was retired at halftime.
His widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, read her own poem titled “Believe What Your Own Eyes See.”“Though rumors now surround his death, he cared too much for basketball to risk his health. Character is one thing that never dies. Let’s not believe these harmful lies,” she read.
The Seattle SuperSonics will be without reserve swingman Vincent Askew for their next two games because of his painful left foot.
Former Celtics star Kevin McHale has agreed to become vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves.