Wayman Tisdale Dead at 44
For those of us who had the opportunity to watch Wayman Tisdale play this is a very sad day and an even sadder day for those that truly knew him and loved his as a person. My apologies go out to the family on this terrible day for them.
What I remember from Wayman Tisdale was his smile and passion for the game. I first got to watch him while he was at Oklahoma in the early 80 to mid 80’s and I was a blossoming basketball fan. He actually seemed liked he loved the game and playing in it. I remember that smile. I remember he was the first freshman to be voted in as an All American and was an All American 3 times during his tenure at Oklahoma. I remember him being on the 1984 olympic team and winning that with Coach Bobby Knight. He was a great collegiate player and man did he have an electric smile.
When Wayman got to the pros it was a little different for him. He was caught in that tweener stage of having the real height of a small forward but he really had limited skills facing the basket. He had a successful career however and played for 12 seasons. One season he averaged over 22 points a game and if you can say you did that in the NBA then you were pretty good. My favorite pro team memory of Wayman was when he played for the KINGS with Mitch Richmond because those two were fun to watch at the time.
Once he retired I didn’t hear from Wayman much until I read that he had a portion of his right leg amputated and I started to get into his life more. I listened to his music that i never knew he made and it was pretty good stuff. The man was ultra talented. How many people can play professional sports at a high level and be professional musicians at the same time? Not many.
Until today I thought that the cancer was gone but I guess it wasn’t and it doesn’t feel so good. It makes me feel mortal in a way that I don’t like. Wayman Tisdale was only 44 years old but lived a full active life. He was one of my favorite college players of all time and it feels like a part of my childhood took a hit today. Again, I apologize to his family and pray they can get through this time.
