Len Bias

High school

Northwestern High School

College

University of Maryland

Len Bias was born on November 18, 1963, in Hyattsville, Maryland, and starred at Northwestern High School before becoming one of the most celebrated players in University of Maryland history. At Maryland, the 6-foot-8 forward with explosive athleticism and an unstoppable mid-range game was named ACC Player of the Year twice (1985 and 1986), leading the Terrapins against Michael Jordan and the rest of the ACC's elite. On June 17, 1986, he was selected 2nd overall in the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics — the selection that was supposed to give Larry Bird and the reigning champion Celtics a dynasty-extending cornerstone. Two days later, on June 19, 1986, Bias collapsed in his College Park apartment and died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by cocaine intoxication. He was 22 years old. His death shocked the sports world and directly spurred the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, fundamentally reshaping American drug sentencing policy. He remains one of the most mourned figures in basketball history — a player many believed was destined to be one of the greatest of his generation. Attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland.