Former Oklahoma star Wayman Tisdale, 44, died today of complications related to cancer, which he battled for two years. Tisdale holds Oklahoma’s scoring and rebounding records and was a three-time All-American, including the first freshman to be named an All-American. The Associated Press highlights Tisdale’s irreplaceable contributions to basketball and Oklahoma.
After three years at Oklahoma, Tisdale played in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. The 6-foot-9 forward, with a soft left-handed touch on the court and a wide smile off it, averaged 15.3 points for his career. He was on the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.
After basketball, he became an award-winning jazz musician, with several albums making the top 10 on the Billboard charts.
The famously upbeat Tisdale learned he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee after breaking his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2007. He said then he was fortunate to have discovered the cancer early.
His leg was amputated last August and a prosthetic leg that he wore was crimson, one of the colors of his beloved Oklahoma Sooners. He made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, including one April 7 at an Oklahoma City Thunder game, where he received the team’s Community Hero Award.
In 1997, Tisdale became the first Oklahoma player in any sport to have his jersey number retired. Two years ago, then-freshman Blake Griffin asked Tisdale for permission to wear No. 23, which Tisdale granted. Griffin went on to become the consensus national player of the year this past season as a sophomore.
Tisdale is survived by his wife, Regina, and four children.
Both Tisdale’s family and the world of basketball will mourn his loss. As the tentacles of capitalism more tightly grasp college basketball coaches, players and their family members, Tisdale’s life and career exemplifies the best that basketball has to offer.
