The Heart of It All in Hoops

I got to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary 'Guru of Go', the story of Paul Westhead and his run-and-gun system, which has been partially successful in a majority of his coaching stops. In the middle of the film, the emphasis was placed on the Loyola Marymount Tigers and star forward Hank Gathers, whose untimely death in the middle of a 1990 WCC tournament game sent shockwaves in the hoops world and galvanized the LMU community.

Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis both died of heart-
related problems while still active players.

On March 4, 1990, during LMU's home game against the University of Portland Pilots, Gathers scored on an alley-oop pass off Terrell Lowery midway through the first half. A few seconds later, Gathers collapsed, and despite pleading not to lie down, he eventually followed the trainer's advice. Unfortunately, Gathers died on the way to the hospital of a heart attack at the age of 23. The entire WCC tournament was later cancelled and LMU earned an NCAA Tournament berth, eventually reaching the Elite 8.

Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox were both sidelined
indefinitely for heart issues.

Three years later, during an NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets at the Boston Garden, star forward Reggie Lewis collapsed while running on the court. It was later determined that he had a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which later caused his death on July 27, 1993 while on a practice session. Nearly two decades later, the Celtics learned from the Lewis debacle when forward Jeff Green was not cleared to play for the 2011-12 season because of an aortic aneurysm, and underwent surgery as a result. And just yesterday, forward Chris Wilcox was sent indefinitely to the inactive list for a potential heart defect. 

Both Eddy Curry and Cuttino Mobley experienced
heart-related ailments during their playing careers.

Also learning from the Lewis and Gathers experience, guard Cuttino Mobley, then of the New York Knicks, announced his retirement in 2008 after a physical revealed a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, thus not clearing him for physical contact. Three years earlier, then-Chicago Bulls forward Eddy Curry was also diagnosed of a similar heart ailment that caused him to miss the Bulls' 2005 playoff run. After refusing a DNA test as suggested by some doctors, then-Bulls GM John Paxson sent Curry to the New York Knicks, which unfortunately didn't work out on Curry's part. After a near three-year sabbatical from hoops, Curry returned to action with the Miami Heat in 2012, having shed over 100 lbs during that span. 

Indeed, basketball involves some running, banging and hustling. Then again, physical fitness is a must for every player aspiring to be the best, especially when the heart is involved in all the action.