Back In The Day NBA

NBA Community Reacts To Death Of Former Player

Shandel Richardson

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view go the NBA logo between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder r during the second half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view go the NBA logo between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder r during the second half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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Former NBA player Jerrod Mustaf passed away on Monday. He was 55.

The league community mourned his loss on a Facebook post.

Longtime NBA writer David Aldridge: "Oh, no. God."

Former Miami Heat player Grant Long: "Rest easy."

Former Charlotte Hornets All-Star Glen Rice: "WHAT!!! No, rest in peace my brother. My condolences and prayers go out to the family."


After a standout career at Maryland, Mustaf was the No. 17 pick by the New York Knicks in the 1990 draft. He played three seasons in New York before spending one year with the Phoenix Suns.

His NBA career ended after he was an "investigative lead" in the murder of Althea Hayes. At the time, she was pregnant with a child who was possibly Mustaf's. He later continued his career playing overseas.

Mustaf was never charged in the case. His cousin, Lavonnie Woten, was convicted of Hayes' murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

NFL STAR SHOWS LOVE FOR KOBE

Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins used a trade to the Kansas City Chiefs as a chance to pay respect to one of the best players in NBA history.

Last week Hopkins showed up for his practice in Kansas City wearing a No. 8 jersey. He told reporters it is a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. Hopkins began the season wearing No. 10 but that number was already taken by Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.

“Kobe Bryant [is] one of my favorite athletes of all time,” Hopkins said. “So, I knew if I ever got the chance to wear No. 8 [I would], and Kobe, No. 8’s a special number.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com