March 9 marks a day that is remembered by many hip hop fans worldwide. That is the day the Notorious B.I.G. (also commonly known as Biggie) passed away due to a shooting in Los Angeles. The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the top emcees during his time. He was known for his flow on the microphone and his many hit singles. Though his career was short, he created a longstanding legacy for himself that is still alive today. He helped transition hip hop to bigger markets in the 1990s and helped build it to the global genre it is today. Unfortunately from his passing away, many hip hop fans wonder what could have been of Biggie’s career. Many say his career would have gone to new heights as he aged as a hip hop artist. Many today consider him as one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time from his musical work, but we can only imagine what other projects he would have made if he was still alive.

Hank Gathers

The Loyola Marymount Lions were one of the most exciting college basketball teams in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They were known for their up tempo offense that resulted in many games ending with over 100 points scored. The team is most remembered when they were led by star forward Hank Gathers. Hank Gathers was a 6’7 forward who played in the inside and was known as a great rebounder. During his junior year of the 1990 college basketball season, he led the nation in both points and rebounds at 32.7 PPG and 13.7 RPG which is something few players have done. During his senior season, he was a candidate for player of the year and led the LMU Lions to the regular season championship. However, during a game vs. Portland in the West Coast Conference tournament, he collapsed due to a heart condition. He was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. This event shocked many fans since Hank Gathers was set to be a lottery pick in the next NBA draft and lead his team to a deep NCAA tournament run. After his passing away, LMU went on to make a run to the elite 8 until losing to eventual national champion UNLV.

Drazen Petrovic

Drazen Petrovic is one of the greatest NBA players to ever come from Europe. Before getting his start in the NBA, he played internationally for various European teams and got his first taste of stardom by representing Yugoslavia in international tournaments. In 1990, after having a successful season as a member of Real Madrid Baloncesto, he joined the Portland Trailblazers in hopes to expanding his success in the NBA. However, it was documented that Drazen Petrovic was not content with his playing time in Portland. He played behind Cylde Drexler and Terry Porter which caused him to be unhappy. During the 1991 NBA Season, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets where he began to flourish as a NBA player. During the 1992 and 1993 seasons, he had seasons where he averaged over 20 PPG on over 50% shooting. He also proved to be one of the best shooters in the NBA during that time shooting over 44% from the three point line during those same seasons. It was said he was robbed of a chance to be in the 1993 NBA all star game when he averaged over 22 points per game on over 51% shooting. However, his career was cut short due to a car accident in Germany. This news shocked fans of Petrovic and have many wondering today what could have been of him if he continued his career in the NBA. There were talks before his death that he was contemplating returning to Europe to finish his career. Ultimately, Drazen Petrovic gave his fans many memories that included competing against The Dream Team in the Olympic final in 1992. Many consider Drazen Petrovic to be one of the best pure shooters of all time.

Reggie Lewis

The Boston Celtics are one of the most decorated NBA franchises in NBA History. They are known for their long history of hall of fame players and being the franchise with the most NBA championships. The 1980s Boston Celtics are most recognized by their frontline of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. However, as the 1990s approached, the team began getting older and looked for a new star to emerge and carry the “mantle” for the franchise.

In the 1987 draft, The Boston Celtics drafted Reggie Lewis in the first round in hopes of acquiring that new star. Reggie Lewis was listed at 6’7 and played both shooting guard and small forward. With that, he quickly became an impactful player for the Celtics averaging as much as 18 points per game as soon as his second season in the league. In 1992, Reggie Lewis peaked at 20.8 PPG on over 50% shooting. However after the 1993 season, Reggie Lewis passed away after he collapsed at an offseason practice. Reggie Lewis suffered a sudden cardiac death that came from a heart disorder. This news shocked many Celtics fans who received similar news when Len Bias passed away after the 1986 draft. If Reggie Lewis were still alive, and was able to play out his entire career in the green and white who knows what great things he could have accomplished as a player?

Sometimes great stories ultimately have tragic endings.

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