Several NBA players have been victims of murder over the years. The last ones to be killed were Adreian Payne and Bryce Dejean-Jones, although the most famous cases have probably been those of Bison Dele (Brian Williams), Lorenzen Wright and Joe Fulks.
Robberies, settling of scores, debts with the mafia, drugs, bad luck or family problems are some of the reasons why they lost their lives. Let's take a look to some of the NBA stars who were murdered in the past.
Adreian Payne
He was shot to death back in May on the streets of Orlando at the age of 31. Payne rose to fame playing for Michigan State University and was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
He participated in 107 NBA games for the Hawks, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic, averaging 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Payne departed Orlando due to a sexual harassment scandal in 2010 at Michigan State University.
Bryce Dejean-Jones
He was killed in 2016 at the age of 23 just months after signing a three-season contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to the authorities, Dejean-Jones broke into an apartment thinking it was that of his girlfriend and mother of his daughter, and upon arriving in the room found the landlord awake, who allegedly shot him in self-defense.
His partner had just moved in and the player had not visited her new home.
Lorenzen Wright
Pau Gasol's former Memphis Grizzlies teammate played his final NBA season in 2008/09 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He found dead after being shot 11 times in a Memphis forest, having been gone missing for 10 days.
His ex-wife Sherra Wright pleaded guilty to her role in Lorenzen's death in 2019, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Lorenzen's mother, Deborah Marion, claims Sherra killed him to access his $1 million life insurance policy, which she quickly spent.
Bison Dele (Brian Williams)
He was a standout NCAA player who was selected by the Magic with the 10th pick in the 1991 Draft and won the NBA title with Michael Jordan's Bulls in 1997.
Dele played for the Magic, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Bulls and Detroit Pistons, averaging 11 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
He retired prematurely in 1999 at the age of 30 and disappeared in 2002. It is believed that he was killed at sea by his older brother.
Reggie Harding
The 6'11" giant became the first player in NBA history to be selected in the draft straight out of high school, bypassing the NCAA.
Harding was selected by the Pistons and in his his four seasons in the NBA he averaged nine points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
His personal problems and drug addiction put an early end to a promising career. In 1960 he was accused of raping Florence Ballard, one of the members of the mythical 'The Supremes', at knifepoint. In 1972, at the age of 32, Harding was shot dead in Detroit.
Ozell Jones
He was a standout player at Wichita State University and went on to make his NBA debut after being selected by the Clippers in the 1985 Draft as the 90th pick.
Jones played three games for the Los Angeles franchise. He went on to play in Italy, CBA and USBL. In 2006, he was found dead after being shot in his apartment at the age of 45. The police investigation is still open.
Jack Molinas
He was convicted of fixing games with the mafia family Genovese when he was at the Columbia University in 1953.
Molinas went on to make the leap to the NBA with the Fort Wayne Pistons, until he was suspended for life by the league.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison of which he served five. Molinas was murdered in 1975 at the age of 43. It is believed that his debts with the Mafia could have been the reason for his death.
Howard Porter
Porter was a power forward who, after leading Villanova University close to beating undefeated UCLA in the 1971 Final Four, was selected by the Bulls with the 32nd pick in the 1971 Draft. He played seven seasons in the NBA for the Bulls, New York Knicks, Pistons and Nets, averaging 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds. Porter was assaulted and shot in May 2007, dying at the age of 58.
Anthony Roberts
He was a star at Oral Roberts University before being selected by the Nuggets with the 21st pick in the 1977 Draft. Roberts played in the NBA for the Nuggets and Bullets, averaging 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. He was shot and killed in 1997 during an argument with two men in a parking lot. He was 41 years old.
George Trapp
Trapp was a power forward shooter who excelled with Long Beach State University and made the leap to the NBA as the No. 5 pick in the 1971 Draft, selected by the Hawks.
He played for the Hawks and Pistons, averaging 8.8 points in 379 regular season games. In 2002, when he was 53 years old, he was shot and killed during a fight with another man in Detroit.
Joe Fulks
Fulks became one of the first players to be inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors between 1946 and 1954, making two NBA All-Star appearances. In 1976, when he was 56 years old, he was shot and killed during an argument over his girlfriend's son.
Jim Bradley
Bradley was a standout player at Northern Illinois University and was selected by the Lakers with the 48th pick in the 1974 Draft.
He played in the ABA for the Kentucky Colonels (1973-75) and Denver Nuggets (1975-76). In 1982, at the age of 29, Bradley was found dead with a gunshot wound to the back.
Gary Suiter
Suiter was a power forward trained at Midwestern (NCAA) who went on to play 30 games in the NBA for the Cavaliers in the 1970-1971 season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds.
On October 23, 1982, when he was 37 years old, Suiter was shot three times in Rio Bravo over a gambling debt of $275.
His murderer, Gary Randall Hoxsie, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
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