Tisdale leaves a lasting legacy
In amongst all the NBA play-off heroics of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s head-to-head clashes with Carmelo Anthony, the NBA lost one of its true characters last week with the sad passing of Wayman Tisdale from cancer at the age of only 44.
Tisdale was one of few people who can honestly claim to have reached the top of two professions, combining a leading career in the NBA and an Olympic gold medal with being one of the leading bass players of his generation.
Tisdale was a great hoopster from his high school days, going on to become an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and then a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles alongside Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.
One of the most consistent big men of his era, Tisdale went on to a 12-year long career in the NBA having his best season with the Sacramento Kings in 1990 when his partnership with Mitch Richmond was one of the best in the league.
Sadly for him, the teams he played for were often losing ones, but scoring over 12000 points and pulling down more than 5000 rebounds was more than a decent career – just lacking in trophies, rings and All-Star votes.
But Tisdale knew he had something to fall back on when he eventually retired from the sport, having taught himself how to play the bass and also turning himself into a fine writer and producer of music.
His first album, named Power Forward after his position on the court, was a Billboard chart success before the end of his career and, his transition completed by his retirement, he would go on to hit the top of the charts with Face To Face.
The cancer that would eventually claim his life was first diagnosed in 2007, and after chemotherapy was unsuccessful, he would eventually lose one of his legs, but he continued to fight until May 15 still working hard on his Wayman Tisdale Foundation until the sad day of his passing.
You can place a basketball bet that both the NBA and the world of jazz music are lesser places without this true big man with a big heart.
