He Was Bound For NBA Stardom, But Tragedy Struck Mere Days After the Draft

Reginald Adams knew firsthand how unstoppable Len Bias was. “He’d jump and his knees would be in my teeth, and I’m 6-2,” said Adams, who played basketball against Bias in high school. “The way he played motivated me so. I’d look at him play and say I wish I could do that. He’d intimidate you with words, talk about your mother.

But when you tried it on him, go to him on the line and say, ‘You’re gonna miss,’ he’d smile and say, ‘No. Too good.'” Bias’ immense talent took the forward to the top of the college ranks.

Then it took him to the cusp of an NBA career with an all-time great team, before tragedy struck.

As a freshman at the University of Maryland during the 1982-83 season, Bias was “raw and undisciplined,” according to The Baltimore Sun. Still, he averaged 22 minutes, 7.1 points, and 4.2 rebounds per game, and made 13 starts. He took a significant step forward as a sophomore, scoring 15.3 points per game while shooting a tidy 56.7 percent from the field.

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By Bias’ junior year of college, he was one of the best players in the country. The dynamic 6’8″ forward averaged 18.9 efficient points and 6.

8 rebounds per game, drawing ACC Player of the Year honors and landing on the consensus All-American second team. He carried his squad to the Sweet 16, where the Terrapins fell to the Villanova Wildcats, the eventual champions.

“He was a physical specimen,” said Johnny Dawkins, a former Duke star who played against Bias throughout high school and college before a nine-year NBA career. “He had a very soft jumper, and he got up so high, no one could affect it.

He would have been a terrific player in the NBA.”

Bias’ signature college game came on February 20, 1986, when he led the unranked Terps to a 77-72 comeback victory against the No. 1 Tar Heels in overtime, handing UNC their first ever loss at the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center.

Bias dropped 35 points, and personally outscored UNC 8-4 down the stretch.