December 20, 2021 • 34 mins
In this episode, Barnstorming & Boston - with the NBA draft looming and his college career over, how did Len Bias spend his time? He went Barnstorming, met a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, reveled in draft day, went to Boston, and spent lots of money.
The episode is narrated by Kevin Sheehan, a University of Maryland alumnus and the host of the podcast, the Kevin Sheehan Show.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This podcast is based in large part of the book
Born Ready, The Mixed Legacy of lem Bis. Some quotes
are narrated by Davon Grady, a podcast producer and the
author of the book, from interviews done for the book.
Recordings of her these comments were not available to the game.
(00:21):
I was a big fan of Lenny Bias. I just
loved this game because you know, it was just a
flambal player. We both loved dr J, and they said
Dr J would not leave. So he signed the last
autograph with it the last you told me for the
book that that's he did. He introduced you to cocaine
that night. You just told correct, that's that's correct, right.
(00:47):
I have never ever seen no to use to this day.
Side from someone else said that. He said, I'm not
interested in You said there's something about him that concern
Boston Celtics select Letton Bias to the University of Yeah.
(01:13):
I really were hoping that with Boston, and my dream
came through. This is a great kid, he's gonna play
Our biggest part of the pitch was that he would
be our guy. Really and then he just said, yeah,
I can't. I wish my mom was part of this like,
I can't wait to get home and see my mom
(01:33):
up next. Let Bias a mixed legacy Barnstormer and Boston. Man,
it's so sad. Yeah yeah, everybody around today feet yeah,
(01:55):
we do Boston and we But the college playing days
of Len Bias were not over. After Maryland lost in
the second round of the n C Double A Tournament
in six About a month later, Bias was back in
North Carolina playing basketball, but in a much more relaxed atmosphere. Well, actually,
(02:20):
the barnstorm and Tour started uh in North Carolina exclusively
in in nineteen fifty seven when Lenny Rose and Blue
and that UNC team went thirty two and oh and
beat Wilt Chamberlain and triple overtime. They got back Chapel
Hill um and people were so excited they started doing
(02:41):
these uh you know, there were I believe four seniors
on that team. They went out and they played games
just to sort of thank the fans, and it continued
through the sixties, primarily with the universal North Carolina. That's
Mike Sumner, the founder of the a c C Barnstorming Tour.
He started in two The tour gather seniors from Atlantic
(03:04):
Coast Conference schools pays them to play in all star
games that are more fan friendly than fierce competitions. I
was a big fan of Lenny Bias. I just loved
his game. Lenny came down. He spent two weeks uh
in the Carolinas, in Virginia and South Carolina playing games. Um,
and these guys get paid. He was a great He
(03:27):
was a great drawl because you know, he was just
a plombal player. In April nineteen eighty six, the life
of Lenn Bias was in transition. He expected to be
a top pick in the NBA draft. Two months later,
Lenn said he wanted to complete his degree, that he
wanted people to know that he had graduated from the
University of Maryland. He would consider it an accomplishment, he said.
(03:50):
But an academic advisor told his coach, Lefty Grizelle that
Lenn was struggling that semester. Grizelle said Bias should consider
dropping some courses to have wid failing grades. Listen, if
he had passed it's fifteen, he might have been taking
eight year the last semester, right, he would have been
six credits short. I told him, I said, Lena, you
(04:12):
ought to drop drop all the courses or take into
complete but don't fail. Bias said, no, he wanted to
pass them. He said, well, I'm passed cocause I know
all these professors I was there passed me. You know,
I've been missing a lot of class and he flunked
them all. Do you know that he was paying his
way to go to summer school because I had to
(04:34):
rule a couple of years before because a lot of
my players were funking a course or wander, you know,
one course or something, so they would have to go
to summer school to get their degrede. And I said, look,
if you're slunk a course because you tried and went
to class and cook your jam and everything and you
still float, I'll pay your way to summer school. But
(04:56):
if I talked to the professor and he said the
guy didn't I'm gonna clay and take the exam, I'm
not paying you away go to Thomas School. He just
didn't go to class. Wendy Whitmore, the academic advisor for Bias,
said he struggled with the fact that he was failing
classes and that he took his academic seriously. But she
said he stopped attending classes. After the fall semester, podcast
(05:21):
producer Dave Ungrady, from his book about Bias, Wendy Whittemore
told me, Lenn had a sense of dignity. He was intelligent,
He knew it and I knew it. Still, Bias ended
up dropping two courses, he flunked three others, and felt
twenty one credit short of graduating. Whitmore blamed biases academic
(05:42):
failures that semester on being a basketball star with a
bright NBA future. Maryland's athletic director Dick Dell said it
was unrealistic to think that Bias would complete his five
courses that semester, that the pressure Len felt to prepare
for a career in the NBA was inconsistent with buddying
and finishing a degree. The final months of Len bias
(06:04):
His life were filled with lots of free time. It
was fun, adventurous, a bit careless, and by the end,
fatally reckless. The fun parts started with the barn Storming Tour,
two weeks hoops road show through the Carolinas. Sumner compared
the games to a Harlem Globetrotters event. Players loose and
bending the rules is common, and Lenn fit right. In
(06:27):
and Lenny took the game seriously when it needs to
be taken seriously. But if we were playing the Runo Graphics,
Police Department or the p t A from someplace, he
had fun with it. You know. He did foul on
and he could grab a kid to shoot his foul shots.
That's how well he connected with people. And then I
can remember one time we were out there playing and
(06:49):
the a sec was up, probably about forty points, and
he just sat down in the stands and started yelling
and screaming at the other players do certain things, and
he just sort of got it. He understood that that
that that these games weren't about people watching basketball. They
were an event because these people never have a chance
to city these athletes. And Lynn would not leave the
(07:10):
gym until everybody got an autograph, and so the autograph
secsion would go sometime with Lynn an hour to an
hour and a half and everybody else was was was
was in the locker room, and there was Lynn after
signed autographs. And I asked him one night about it,
and he said, well, when I was a little boy,
I tried to get an autograph at a at a
(07:30):
basketball game and I couldn't get it. And I said
to myself that whatever wanna happen to me if I
ever got to be famous. So that was kind of
a neat story. John Sally played in some of the
barn storming games with Bias. We both loved Dr J.
And they said Dr J would not leave to he
signed the last autograph and did the last interview. Sumner
(07:51):
recalls how Bias connected with a disabled boy. We're playing
out in the eastern part of the state and uh,
in a little small town then the musk of District association,
it's who we raised money for, and so they would
always their association would always bring kids to the game,
and uh, there was a young man who probably uh
(08:13):
he was about maybe thirteen and fourteen years old, but
he was a huge Maryland fan. And we got to
the second game in a city that was maybe fifty
miles away, and he was there. His mother brought him
there and so Lynn Lynn took to him and took
him back to the locker room and gave me the
tennis shoes. And you know, these guys will take their
jerseys off sometimes and give them to people, and you know,
(08:35):
we only have a certain amount of jerseys. We had
and uh, And I'd always say, hey, I'll give it
back to you, but I need this for tomorrow and
so uh. But but but he gave that young man
of Jersey and uh and his tennis choose. And but
that happens a lot with these guys that you know
that they understand the value and and and you know,
and reaching down to people who had some struggles. And
(08:58):
then there's the careless park. While in North Carolina, Bias
also found time to use cocaine with former NC State
star Chris Washburn. That's according to Washburn, then a sophomore.
Washburn met Bias earlier that year when the wolf Pack
played against Maryland in College Park. I just had to see,
you know, how talling In was, how it was built,
(09:20):
all this kind of stuff, because that would give me
my my satisfaction once to gall of course, kind of
bring my nerves down once we've gone on campus. But
we had to shoot around. Coach, shall we get a year,
hang out for a little while and go back to
no till me and Nate went off to the whore
who are the classes were? And I was asking, both
were is Lyn at? Where's Lyn? And they actually directed
(09:42):
me to the building in the class where he was
that and I guess the bill and run when we
went through, and he was walking down the hall and
I saw him and we talked right then for just
a few minutes. I did just had to see the
physical him. And that's the first time I've seen him,
and you know, and I spent a little more at
easy because I was a little taller than him. So
I thought I was gonna post some weight when we please,
(10:04):
you know. But again we understoke for a second. We said,
was I see united the game. Some three months later,
Washburn claims Bias introduced him to cocaine about about twelve
one o'clock in the morning. I get knocked at my door.
His name was Sea Logan and whether the actual name
was Charles Logan. When I opened the door, um Land
(10:27):
popped around the corner and I was, you know, and
I was supposed you know that Land in town. I
had a seven fifty class that morning, and uh, let's
just say I never made it to that class. He
told me for the book that that's he introduced you
to cocaine that night. That's correct, That's that's correct. Right. Yeah.
They went on to the bathroom and and and use
(10:49):
my phone and stuff. And I went back to sleep,
but I had to get up for my seven fifty class.
They were still in the bathroom, said, there has been
in a four or five hours when someone asked you
to try up loving this of h of a status.
You know that I put them on. You know, I
didn't want them to think I'm not cool. You know
what I'm saying. So you offered me something I tried.
(11:11):
You know, you surprised was doing that. I was. I
was surprised yet because it I've never done it. When
I tried that, so, um, it made a big change
in my life. Um, and like I said, I never
went back to class. Um, I ended up leaving the
state when they left that morning. I never left and
(11:31):
went to class after that. You know, I kind of
stay in the room. And then because once that high
war all and if it's such a new drug, I
signed myself riding around Riley, you know, wanting to find it,
but scared to ask you before because everybody knew who
I was. I was that they won first hit I was.
(11:54):
I actually went to the the NBA. I was already damaged
to it. No one is alive to confirm or Washburn
story logan passed away before Washburn told podcast producer Dave
U Grady the story in two thousand and ten when
he was working on his book about Bias. Derrek Whittenberg
was an assistant coach on the n C State team
in ninety six. At that time, he says he was
(12:17):
assigned to be the chaperone for Washburn. Washburn had pled
guilty to stealing stereo equipment from an NC State football
player when he was a freshman. As a sophomore, he
was on probation. Yeah, I don't believe that if the story,
I would believe Chris would would would would offer himself.
(12:37):
I would believe that one of the other way around.
Washburn was the number three pick in the NBA draft
in nineteen eighty six, one behind Bias. He played parts
of two seasons in the NBA and received a lifetime
ban from the league in nineteen eighty nine. He later
served prison time for drug related offenses. Washburn stopped using
(12:58):
cocaine in two thousand. In Bias strode to Carolina with
his mentor, Johnny Walker, who spent about a week with
Bias on the tour. Walker helped manage what he called
the Len Bias Everything must go vending stand set up
at some of the games. Johnny Walker told me we
had the life sized poster of him. He got game shorts, jerseys,
(13:21):
other people's jerseys, practice gear. We sold so much stuff.
He got paid so much money. He said, whatever it is,
just keep it. Walker recalled he and Bias were part
of a caravan of players on the tour, speeding from
one site to the next, driving it about a hundred
miles per hour. He says they were stopped by police
(13:41):
but did not receive a ticket after an NC State
player talked to the trooper with nobody's ball because you're
listening to Len Bias. The mixed legacy on the eight side.
He was going to make it as the number two.
Bias had started to spend more time with Brian Tribble
by June. Tribble was one of the three others with
(14:03):
Bias when he died. Their friendship had grown quickly and
perplexed some of those who knew Bias well. Bob Wagner,
biases high school coach, says he first heard of Tribble
after Bias died and was surprised the two were friends.
I didn't know anything about this kid. Brian Tribble boyhood
friend Brian Waller said that he met Tribble only once.
(14:25):
When Waller would ask about Trible, Bias would defend him.
Brian Waller told me, he's my friend. He likes working out,
he likes playing ball, like slifting weights. That's my man, okay.
Walker Biases Mentor werecalled stopping by Biases dorm once for
a planned visit and later discovered he was at Tribble's apartment.
(14:47):
Walker told me, I paged Lenn he finally called back.
I asked where you at now? I thought I told
you I was coming up for something. Bias said, I'm
up the street at Tribble's house. I rode up to
Tribble styles. I got there and asked, what's there to
do up here? Oh? No, we were just up here
(15:07):
working out. Trouble had some weight machines there. I said,
why would you have to come up to his apartment
to work out when you can work out any time
you want in a room full of workout equipment. I
don't understand it. Trible confirmed in a conversation with Walker
after Bias died that Trible and Bias did in fact
use cocaine that night. Another time Walkers stopped by to
(15:31):
visit Bias, he noticed the HERB Golden seal in his room.
For a time, golden seal was thought to help mask
the presence of drugs during a drug test. Court testimony
by Maryland players Terry Long and David Greg at the
trial of Tribble following Len's death was revealing about Biases
cocaine use. Long admitted that he snorted cocaine with Greg
(15:55):
and Bias at Tribbles apartment after a game against NC
State and Colle Edge Park. The game took place on
January twenty three, nine eighty six. Long also testified that
Bias introduced him to cocaine in nineteen eighty four, at
the beginning of his sophomore season. Bias gave him the
drug in a folded dollar bill. Tina Maynard met Len
(16:18):
Bias in September of nineteen eighty five, two weeks after
Lenn died. She gave birth to a boy she claims
is Len's son. Tina Maynard told me, I wouldn't say
he was addicted to it. He just liked using it.
It was not new to him. I'm not trying to
talk bad about him. He was human. I just wish
(16:39):
people would be honest with everything. Still, many close to
Bias claim they never saw him use drugs or alcohol.
Jeff Baxter was Len's roommate for four years. I have
never to this day, I know he always had cast
(17:00):
I don't know, but I don't think. I don't don't.
I can't say it was, you know, University of Maryland.
Who's doing relating anything like that. I don't know. I
don't know, but I do know he always had casts.
That's what. If I wanted something, you get it. Bias
mentor Johnny Walker claims Bias received money and gifts from fans.
He recalled the time one summer when Bias called someone
(17:21):
on the phone saying he needed money. Walker told me
he throw out a random number. I sat in the
car while he talked to the guy who gave him
all CRISP one hundred dollar bills. We would go from
there to spend money on clothes. He had no problem
spending up to five hundred dollars, six hundred dollars, seven
hundred dollars on clothes. If he was spending money, he'd
(17:44):
never say it was drugs. It was closed. Walker recalled
free lunches in College Park, and at time they walked
into a Circuit City store to buy a stereo and
walked out with the receiver's speakers, cassette deck in turntable
for free. It. There was a catch. Walker told me.
The guy comes up says, hey man, you len Bias.
(18:06):
Hey man, give me some tickets to the Carolina game,
and I'll give you the stereo. Pull around to the
loading dock and we'll load up your car. Whether he
took care of the tickets, I don't know. He was
a free spirit. We had a lot of good times.
Before the start of the barn Storming Tour, John Sally
had just finished his playing days with Georgia Tech. He
(18:27):
joined the tour with Bias and were called the large
amounts of money that players received. Lenny was like, yo, man,
you can make like thousand dollars on this. They didn't
want to pay me, No thirty thouars. They gave him
any all the day. That's what I remember. I think
he was making um game. Can you imagine seventy guys
(18:51):
in the NBA wasn't making that regulate in games I got,
I got thirty five huntres, but I would think that
Lenny was getting at least above I would say seventy five.
Despite all that, Bias showed signs of needing money days
before the draft. John Brown opened Bentley's Restaurant in College
Park in the late nineteen seventies, near the Maryland campus.
(19:15):
Brown has been a longtime supporter of Maryland athletics and
often hosted meals for Maryland teams at the restaurant. A
couple of days before the NBA draft, Bias stop by
to say hello to Brown, and the two enjoyed lunch together.
After the meal, Bias asked to borrow money. In late March,
Bias had secured a loan of about twenty thousand dollars
(19:36):
from a local bank. He used the money to Lisa
Nissan three SX. A story in the Washington Post told
of biases shopping spreeze during the spring of nineteen eighty six.
He bought a fourteen carrot gold chain worth hundred dollars,
name plates for a friend and himself for five hundred
and fifty dollars, and jewelry for many of his female friends.
(19:59):
The report alls so claimed that he bought suits and
purchased two one million dollar disability insurance policies. Brown was
surprised that Bias needed more money. John Brown told me,
I said, Lynn, what happened to all your upfront money?
He said, I just don't have it. Bias needed what
(20:19):
he called airport money if he wanted to buy a
magazine or a newspaper or some gum. Brown told Bias
that he would give him the money, but only if
he worked for it. Bias agreed, so Brown directed Bias
to water shrubs that had just been planted on the
property Brown owned behind the restaurant. Neighbors noticed biases peculiar
work behind the restaurant and called Brown to wonder if
(20:42):
all was well with the soon to be high NBA
draft pick. He assured them there was nothing to worry about.
Bias worked for about ninety minutes. Brown then wrote him
a check for thirty seven dollars. Bias cash the check
at the bar before he left. Days later, Bias would
be in New York City, drafted by the world champion
Boston Celtics. He was going to make it as the
(21:04):
number two. Make about Celtics. It would have been so
sick you're listening to Len Bias. The mixed Legacy on
the eight side. The land Or was in a unanimous
Bosty Celtics select Len Bias at the University about It
was no surprise that the Boston Celtics picked Len Bias
(21:27):
number two in the nine six NBA Draft on June seventeenth.
After biases sophomore season at Maryland, he had attended a
Celtics camp run by the team's owner read our back
Jan Vulk, the team's GM at the time, first saw
Bias play at the camp. He was he was a
camp two seasons and uh, we watched him and he
(21:50):
just didn't take much to it. Came out as a
in the crowd, red red like them a lot. It
was clear that he was that he is very um
uh impressed with the work ethic, with the with the
skill set and with the attitude. He was clearly physically dominant.
(22:14):
He was he was mean. He had a mean, mean
en court game and that was that was important. Here
was the Celtics scouting report on Bias. He was a
bigger Michael Jordan's with a better outside shot, but he
didn't drive to the basket as well while dribbling. After
the Celtics won the number two pick in the lottery
(22:35):
in through a trade. Bias was their prime target. Bob
Ryan was covering the Celtics for the Boston Globe. Well,
everyone to have a number two pick, and on top
of being a champion. It was, it was, it was orgasmic.
And I'm telling you if people were so excited. Shortly
after the draft, Bias had a series of interviews with
(22:56):
the Celtics in Boston. As Bias departed for a flight home,
he had some parting words for Volk and I said
goodbye to him at the curb, something to the effect,
please draft me, this is where I want to be.
I never had that happened before. The Celtics felt more
comfortable drafting Bias after he cleared a background check. It
was there was nothing, There was nothing different, There was
(23:16):
nothing that stood out, There were no red flags, there
were no areas of concern. Here's Lefty Drizzel speaking a
day after Bias died about his drug use. Well, I
would be very, very surprised because Leonard just had an
examination about the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors
and the New York Knicks, and you know, I'm positive
(23:38):
there were no drugs and those examinations, and he's completely
out of character for him to do anything like that.
That's one thing that I told Rid and all the
teams that were interested in him that they didn't have
to worry about him with drugs or alcohol. He was
born again Christian and a great person. At least one
other team, though, did have concerns. The Philadelphia seventies Sixers
had the top pick in the draft before trading to Cleveland.
(24:01):
The seventy sixers chief scout, the late Jack McMahon, felt
uncomfortable about drafting Bias. Pat Williams was the seventies Sixers
general manager at the time. He said, I'm not interested.
He said, there's something about him that concerns me. There's
something about him that just isn't right. But Jack didn't
(24:21):
know him, you know, he'd seen him play several times.
But Jack was a wise old basketball hit. Even though
we had the first pick, we did not bring him in.
We did not interview him. We were going to take him.
Williams could not claim that the concern was related to
drug use. It may have been related to his style
of play. Minutes after the Celtics drafted Bias, he talked
(24:42):
with a local reporter James Brown, the coach, coach ter back,
whether manage outer back, and he told me that he
told me that I wasn't gonna get much. I wasn't
gonna stop at a lot of playtime brought to me
the sixth man. When it all came down, were you
really hoping that it could have been Bolton in the end?
I remember, we're hoping out with Boston in my dream time.
(25:03):
True read. Our back was elated after they had picked Bias.
Here are his comments moments after Bias was picked. This
is a great kid. As a matter of fact, you know,
Larry Bird said that if we draft Bias, he's gonna
come up to the rookie camp. That's right. He is
(25:24):
very very high on Biased, as Casey was, and Jimmy
and and the owners, you know, Alan Cohen and Don Gasson,
they're all high on him. And he's the guy we wanted.
We got him. A lot of people are asking the question,
how do you improve the best team in basketball? Is
Len Bias? The answer to that, well, he gives us
a lot of support. He could play some god, he
could play some forward. He could play a powerfulward, a
(25:46):
quick forward. He is the best athlete in my opinion,
in the whole draft, and he's gonna really help this
book clip. You said, anybody's gonna have trouble breaking into
the Boston Celtics lineup. He knows that is Lenny Bias
gonna take the place of Kevin Mkhao, Larry Bright. He
knows that. But he'll get his playing time. But you know,
(26:07):
time goes, you know, time goes, Guys get older, they
get more playing time. We've had guys sitting around for
a while, except in this particular case, he's going to play.
After the draft, Boston Herald reporters Steve Bullpet noticed a
sign of things to come as he walked with Bias
and his family out of the arena. Bullpit flew on
(26:28):
the same airplane from New York to Boston as Bias,
and we kind of walked outside and just was able
to just capture the whole scene of kids on the
street already knowing that Lynn Bias has been drafted by
the Celtics. Remember one kid, I think taking off for
a sneaker and taking me sign my sneaker. The next
day in Boston, Bias met Celtics players and staff. He
(26:50):
also met with reps from Reebok. Media reports at the
time claimed that Bias had agreed to sign a contract
with Reebok his former coach left He. Grisel said Bias
told him so on a phone call. Left it. Grisel
told me, he said, I just want to thank you
for everything you've done for me. I just want to
let you know that I signed a million dollar contract
(27:11):
with Reebok. But that wasn't true, says Joanne borsekian Lette.
She was a recently hired associate marketing manager for Reebok
at the time who had worked with Bias. So there
was nothing signed. I can honestly tell you that still.
Borsekian or Lett added that Reebok wanted to sign a
new young talent and Bias was their number one choice.
(27:32):
The day after the draft, he spent the day in
Boston that included a tour of the Reebok headquarters, located
about twenty five minutes from Boston. And we bring him
in the office and he's very quiet, and you know,
very nice, very polite, and we're pretty excited about what's
going on. He's buying into everything that we've told him.
And what you gotta remember now, we are a very
(27:54):
small company. We probably had twenty people that in the
corporate office at the time, and we're making this pitch
to him of what we'll do with him. Um, you
know what type of he may or may not have
his own shoe. You know, it's all about what we
can put together because these things take time. You don't
just do that quickly. Um, we'd like him to be
(28:14):
involved in the process, and he'll be right there down
the street. You can come in as often as he wants.
And it was just a very positive meeting and exciting,
exciting day for everybody that was there. The tour included
a stop at the Reebok warehouse. We're biased stocked up
on Reebok gear, so we give him and his dad
some things to take with them, you know, apparel and shoes,
(28:36):
and he really likes the brand. He likes that he'll
be the guy here, you know, he won't be lost
in a stable of big stars anywhere else. He really
that that was what our biggest part of the pitch
was that he would be our guy. Really. Later, Borski
and Olette asked Bias to be a surprise guest at
a party Rebok held for two of its clients. Celtics
(28:58):
players Danny Ainge and Nis Johnson. Listen, we have this
event tonight. It's our key retailers. It would be really
cool to kind of unveil this um that you're with us.
Would you like to be part of that? And I
remember he said, as long as you can get me
back on my flight. I don't want to miss my
flight because it was the last flight out of Boston.
(29:19):
And I remember I said to him that I will
not let you miss that flight, you know, and and
you won't stay here tonight and he said to me, Um,
that's good because I just missed my mom. I want
to go see my mom. Bias attended the party with
his dad and his agent, Leef Interests of Advantage International.
His appearance would be a surprise to the guests, and so, um,
(29:41):
we had Danny and DJ and they had just won
the championship, so that was like a very cool thing,
and we announced them as world champions. Are very own
Boston Celtics, and everybody was going nuts in this little
reception room at the Sinesta. And then I think it
was Paul Fireman said, we have another announcement today. We've
had a special guest at the headquarters all day and
(30:06):
he wanted to meet all of you and say hello
to all of you. And then um, I was standing
by the door, literally listening to the door because before
cell phones and nobody could text each other and say
okay and t Now like I'm like up to the
little flap of the two doors. And then um, he said,
you all know Joyan boors Ak, and we're gonna have Joanne,
you know, open the door for the next guest. And
(30:26):
then it was Len and then everybody went nuts. Very
um you know, soft spoken and just you know, sweet
kind but you know, didn't dominate a room or anything
like that. Very happy to go from next guest to
next guest. And it was with Danny and DJ and
kind of having them, you know, lead him around as well.
(30:48):
With me. Johnny Walker lens Mentor remember getting a call
from Bias at the Reebok party. Walker told me he
called me and said, we're going to have everything we wanted.
I told him, we don't even wear rebox. Why are
you going to sign with Reeboks. You're not gonna wear
my shoe. I don't wear a rebox. He said he'd
(31:10):
be home sometime tonight. I said, just call me tomorrow.
I got to go to work in the morning. He said, man,
you won't have to go to work no more. After this.
We're gonna do everything and anything we ever wanted to do.
I said, okay, Leonard, okay. Bors Akian recalled one thing
that Bias later said while they drove to the airport,
(31:31):
and then he just said, yeah, I can't I wish
my mom was part of this, like I can't wait
to get home and see my mom. Next on lam
Bias and Mixed Legacy, he was supposed to come to
Colt house and we had banners and everything, and we
(31:52):
waited and we waited, and you know, nothing, nothing ever
happened to me. But we had another right, it's a
wappen I kept asking what happened, so I finally said it.
I said it was a drug that David started calling,
I mean screamed screen whence At that point, I said,
(32:25):
it's his heart beating and she said no, And it
was one other thing I ask. I said, well, I'll
never forget that. And I heard the news and I
couldn't believe it. I pulled over the side of the road.
I cried like I cried like a two year Old.
(32:46):
His podcast series is based on the book Born Ready.
The Mixed Legacy of Lambis was published by Go Grady Meeting.
The series is produced by Go Grady Media in partnership
with Octagon Entertainment. This segment was produced by David Grady
and Don mark was. It was written by Dave and
Grady and edited by Don Marcus. The narrator was Kevin Sheen,
the additional narration by Jamal Williams. Technical production was provided
(33:08):
by Octagon Entertainment. Production assistance was provided by Kevin McNulty,
Tina Quagliata, Lauren Rosch, Georgia Braun, Casey Fair, Jamal Williams,
Kelsey Mannix and enzo Al Varinda Matt Dewhurst is providing
the social media special thanks to the University of Maryland
and American University by providing Into the Decision. Education Foundation
(33:31):
is a content and promotional partner of this podcast series.
More information go to dog Grady Media dot com. This
has been a production of Go Grady Media and the
Eight Side Network by two
This podcast is based in large part of the book
Born Ready, The Mixed Legacy of lem Bis. Some quotes
are narrated by Davon Grady, a podcast producer and the
author of the book, from interviews done for the book.
Recordings of her these comments were not available to the game.
(00:21):
I was a big fan of Lenny Bias. I just
loved this game because you know, it was just a
flambal player. We both loved dr J, and they said
Dr J would not leave. So he signed the last
autograph with it the last you told me for the
book that that's he did. He introduced you to cocaine
that night. You just told correct, that's that's correct, right.
(00:47):
I have never ever seen no to use to this day.
Side from someone else said that. He said, I'm not
interested in You said there's something about him that concern
Boston Celtics select Letton Bias to the University of Yeah.
(01:13):
I really were hoping that with Boston, and my dream
came through. This is a great kid, he's gonna play
Our biggest part of the pitch was that he would
be our guy. Really and then he just said, yeah,
I can't. I wish my mom was part of this like,
I can't wait to get home and see my mom
(01:33):
up next. Let Bias a mixed legacy Barnstormer and Boston. Man,
it's so sad. Yeah yeah, everybody around today feet yeah,
(01:55):
we do Boston and we But the college playing days
of Len Bias were not over. After Maryland lost in
the second round of the n C Double A Tournament
in six About a month later, Bias was back in
North Carolina playing basketball, but in a much more relaxed atmosphere. Well, actually,
(02:20):
the barnstorm and Tour started uh in North Carolina exclusively
in in nineteen fifty seven when Lenny Rose and Blue
and that UNC team went thirty two and oh and
beat Wilt Chamberlain and triple overtime. They got back Chapel
Hill um and people were so excited they started doing
(02:41):
these uh you know, there were I believe four seniors
on that team. They went out and they played games
just to sort of thank the fans, and it continued
through the sixties, primarily with the universal North Carolina. That's
Mike Sumner, the founder of the a c C Barnstorming Tour.
He started in two The tour gather seniors from Atlantic
(03:04):
Coast Conference schools pays them to play in all star
games that are more fan friendly than fierce competitions. I
was a big fan of Lenny Bias. I just loved
his game. Lenny came down. He spent two weeks uh
in the Carolinas, in Virginia and South Carolina playing games. Um,
and these guys get paid. He was a great He
(03:27):
was a great drawl because you know, he was just
a plombal player. In April nineteen eighty six, the life
of Lenn Bias was in transition. He expected to be
a top pick in the NBA draft. Two months later,
Lenn said he wanted to complete his degree, that he
wanted people to know that he had graduated from the
University of Maryland. He would consider it an accomplishment, he said.
(03:50):
But an academic advisor told his coach, Lefty Grizelle that
Lenn was struggling that semester. Grizelle said Bias should consider
dropping some courses to have wid failing grades. Listen, if
he had passed it's fifteen, he might have been taking
eight year the last semester, right, he would have been
six credits short. I told him, I said, Lena, you
(04:12):
ought to drop drop all the courses or take into
complete but don't fail. Bias said, no, he wanted to
pass them. He said, well, I'm passed cocause I know
all these professors I was there passed me. You know,
I've been missing a lot of class and he flunked
them all. Do you know that he was paying his
way to go to summer school because I had to
(04:34):
rule a couple of years before because a lot of
my players were funking a course or wander, you know,
one course or something, so they would have to go
to summer school to get their degrede. And I said, look,
if you're slunk a course because you tried and went
to class and cook your jam and everything and you
still float, I'll pay your way to summer school. But
(04:56):
if I talked to the professor and he said the
guy didn't I'm gonna clay and take the exam, I'm
not paying you away go to Thomas School. He just
didn't go to class. Wendy Whitmore, the academic advisor for Bias,
said he struggled with the fact that he was failing
classes and that he took his academic seriously. But she
said he stopped attending classes. After the fall semester, podcast
(05:21):
producer Dave Ungrady, from his book about Bias, Wendy Whittemore
told me, Lenn had a sense of dignity. He was intelligent,
He knew it and I knew it. Still, Bias ended
up dropping two courses, he flunked three others, and felt
twenty one credit short of graduating. Whitmore blamed biases academic
(05:42):
failures that semester on being a basketball star with a
bright NBA future. Maryland's athletic director Dick Dell said it
was unrealistic to think that Bias would complete his five
courses that semester, that the pressure Len felt to prepare
for a career in the NBA was inconsistent with buddying
and finishing a degree. The final months of Len bias
(06:04):
His life were filled with lots of free time. It
was fun, adventurous, a bit careless, and by the end,
fatally reckless. The fun parts started with the barn Storming Tour,
two weeks hoops road show through the Carolinas. Sumner compared
the games to a Harlem Globetrotters event. Players loose and
bending the rules is common, and Lenn fit right. In
(06:27):
and Lenny took the game seriously when it needs to
be taken seriously. But if we were playing the Runo Graphics,
Police Department or the p t A from someplace, he
had fun with it. You know. He did foul on
and he could grab a kid to shoot his foul shots.
That's how well he connected with people. And then I
can remember one time we were out there playing and
(06:49):
the a sec was up, probably about forty points, and
he just sat down in the stands and started yelling
and screaming at the other players do certain things, and
he just sort of got it. He understood that that
that that these games weren't about people watching basketball. They
were an event because these people never have a chance
to city these athletes. And Lynn would not leave the
(07:10):
gym until everybody got an autograph, and so the autograph
secsion would go sometime with Lynn an hour to an
hour and a half and everybody else was was was
was in the locker room, and there was Lynn after
signed autographs. And I asked him one night about it,
and he said, well, when I was a little boy,
I tried to get an autograph at a at a
(07:30):
basketball game and I couldn't get it. And I said
to myself that whatever wanna happen to me if I
ever got to be famous. So that was kind of
a neat story. John Sally played in some of the
barn storming games with Bias. We both loved Dr J.
And they said Dr J would not leave to he
signed the last autograph and did the last interview. Sumner
(07:51):
recalls how Bias connected with a disabled boy. We're playing
out in the eastern part of the state and uh,
in a little small town then the musk of District association,
it's who we raised money for, and so they would
always their association would always bring kids to the game,
and uh, there was a young man who probably uh
(08:13):
he was about maybe thirteen and fourteen years old, but
he was a huge Maryland fan. And we got to
the second game in a city that was maybe fifty
miles away, and he was there. His mother brought him
there and so Lynn Lynn took to him and took
him back to the locker room and gave me the
tennis shoes. And you know, these guys will take their
jerseys off sometimes and give them to people, and you know,
(08:35):
we only have a certain amount of jerseys. We had
and uh, And I'd always say, hey, I'll give it
back to you, but I need this for tomorrow and
so uh. But but but he gave that young man
of Jersey and uh and his tennis choose. And but
that happens a lot with these guys that you know
that they understand the value and and and you know,
and reaching down to people who had some struggles. And
(08:58):
then there's the careless park. While in North Carolina, Bias
also found time to use cocaine with former NC State
star Chris Washburn. That's according to Washburn, then a sophomore.
Washburn met Bias earlier that year when the wolf Pack
played against Maryland in College Park. I just had to see,
you know, how talling In was, how it was built,
(09:20):
all this kind of stuff, because that would give me
my my satisfaction once to gall of course, kind of
bring my nerves down once we've gone on campus. But
we had to shoot around. Coach, shall we get a year,
hang out for a little while and go back to
no till me and Nate went off to the whore
who are the classes were? And I was asking, both
were is Lyn at? Where's Lyn? And they actually directed
(09:42):
me to the building in the class where he was
that and I guess the bill and run when we
went through, and he was walking down the hall and
I saw him and we talked right then for just
a few minutes. I did just had to see the
physical him. And that's the first time I've seen him,
and you know, and I spent a little more at
easy because I was a little taller than him. So
I thought I was gonna post some weight when we please,
(10:04):
you know. But again we understoke for a second. We said,
was I see united the game. Some three months later,
Washburn claims Bias introduced him to cocaine about about twelve
one o'clock in the morning. I get knocked at my door.
His name was Sea Logan and whether the actual name
was Charles Logan. When I opened the door, um Land
(10:27):
popped around the corner and I was, you know, and
I was supposed you know that Land in town. I
had a seven fifty class that morning, and uh, let's
just say I never made it to that class. He
told me for the book that that's he introduced you
to cocaine that night. That's correct, That's that's correct. Right. Yeah.
They went on to the bathroom and and and use
(10:49):
my phone and stuff. And I went back to sleep,
but I had to get up for my seven fifty class.
They were still in the bathroom, said, there has been
in a four or five hours when someone asked you
to try up loving this of h of a status.
You know that I put them on. You know, I
didn't want them to think I'm not cool. You know
what I'm saying. So you offered me something I tried.
(11:11):
You know, you surprised was doing that. I was. I
was surprised yet because it I've never done it. When
I tried that, so, um, it made a big change
in my life. Um, and like I said, I never
went back to class. Um, I ended up leaving the
state when they left that morning. I never left and
(11:31):
went to class after that. You know, I kind of
stay in the room. And then because once that high
war all and if it's such a new drug, I
signed myself riding around Riley, you know, wanting to find it,
but scared to ask you before because everybody knew who
I was. I was that they won first hit I was.
(11:54):
I actually went to the the NBA. I was already damaged
to it. No one is alive to confirm or Washburn
story logan passed away before Washburn told podcast producer Dave
U Grady the story in two thousand and ten when
he was working on his book about Bias. Derrek Whittenberg
was an assistant coach on the n C State team
in ninety six. At that time, he says he was
(12:17):
assigned to be the chaperone for Washburn. Washburn had pled
guilty to stealing stereo equipment from an NC State football
player when he was a freshman. As a sophomore, he
was on probation. Yeah, I don't believe that if the story,
I would believe Chris would would would would offer himself.
(12:37):
I would believe that one of the other way around.
Washburn was the number three pick in the NBA draft
in nineteen eighty six, one behind Bias. He played parts
of two seasons in the NBA and received a lifetime
ban from the league in nineteen eighty nine. He later
served prison time for drug related offenses. Washburn stopped using
(12:58):
cocaine in two thousand. In Bias strode to Carolina with
his mentor, Johnny Walker, who spent about a week with
Bias on the tour. Walker helped manage what he called
the Len Bias Everything must go vending stand set up
at some of the games. Johnny Walker told me we
had the life sized poster of him. He got game shorts, jerseys,
(13:21):
other people's jerseys, practice gear. We sold so much stuff.
He got paid so much money. He said, whatever it is,
just keep it. Walker recalled he and Bias were part
of a caravan of players on the tour, speeding from
one site to the next, driving it about a hundred
miles per hour. He says they were stopped by police
(13:41):
but did not receive a ticket after an NC State
player talked to the trooper with nobody's ball because you're
listening to Len Bias. The mixed legacy on the eight side.
He was going to make it as the number two.
Bias had started to spend more time with Brian Tribble
by June. Tribble was one of the three others with
(14:03):
Bias when he died. Their friendship had grown quickly and
perplexed some of those who knew Bias well. Bob Wagner,
biases high school coach, says he first heard of Tribble
after Bias died and was surprised the two were friends.
I didn't know anything about this kid. Brian Tribble boyhood
friend Brian Waller said that he met Tribble only once.
(14:25):
When Waller would ask about Trible, Bias would defend him.
Brian Waller told me, he's my friend. He likes working out,
he likes playing ball, like slifting weights. That's my man, okay.
Walker Biases Mentor werecalled stopping by Biases dorm once for
a planned visit and later discovered he was at Tribble's apartment.
(14:47):
Walker told me, I paged Lenn he finally called back.
I asked where you at now? I thought I told
you I was coming up for something. Bias said, I'm
up the street at Tribble's house. I rode up to
Tribble styles. I got there and asked, what's there to
do up here? Oh? No, we were just up here
(15:07):
working out. Trouble had some weight machines there. I said,
why would you have to come up to his apartment
to work out when you can work out any time
you want in a room full of workout equipment. I
don't understand it. Trible confirmed in a conversation with Walker
after Bias died that Trible and Bias did in fact
use cocaine that night. Another time Walkers stopped by to
(15:31):
visit Bias, he noticed the HERB Golden seal in his room.
For a time, golden seal was thought to help mask
the presence of drugs during a drug test. Court testimony
by Maryland players Terry Long and David Greg at the
trial of Tribble following Len's death was revealing about Biases
cocaine use. Long admitted that he snorted cocaine with Greg
(15:55):
and Bias at Tribbles apartment after a game against NC
State and Colle Edge Park. The game took place on
January twenty three, nine eighty six. Long also testified that
Bias introduced him to cocaine in nineteen eighty four, at
the beginning of his sophomore season. Bias gave him the
drug in a folded dollar bill. Tina Maynard met Len
(16:18):
Bias in September of nineteen eighty five, two weeks after
Lenn died. She gave birth to a boy she claims
is Len's son. Tina Maynard told me, I wouldn't say
he was addicted to it. He just liked using it.
It was not new to him. I'm not trying to
talk bad about him. He was human. I just wish
(16:39):
people would be honest with everything. Still, many close to
Bias claim they never saw him use drugs or alcohol.
Jeff Baxter was Len's roommate for four years. I have
never to this day, I know he always had cast
(17:00):
I don't know, but I don't think. I don't don't.
I can't say it was, you know, University of Maryland.
Who's doing relating anything like that. I don't know. I
don't know, but I do know he always had casts.
That's what. If I wanted something, you get it. Bias
mentor Johnny Walker claims Bias received money and gifts from fans.
He recalled the time one summer when Bias called someone
(17:21):
on the phone saying he needed money. Walker told me
he throw out a random number. I sat in the
car while he talked to the guy who gave him
all CRISP one hundred dollar bills. We would go from
there to spend money on clothes. He had no problem
spending up to five hundred dollars, six hundred dollars, seven
hundred dollars on clothes. If he was spending money, he'd
(17:44):
never say it was drugs. It was closed. Walker recalled
free lunches in College Park, and at time they walked
into a Circuit City store to buy a stereo and
walked out with the receiver's speakers, cassette deck in turntable
for free. It. There was a catch. Walker told me.
The guy comes up says, hey man, you len Bias.
(18:06):
Hey man, give me some tickets to the Carolina game,
and I'll give you the stereo. Pull around to the
loading dock and we'll load up your car. Whether he
took care of the tickets, I don't know. He was
a free spirit. We had a lot of good times.
Before the start of the barn Storming Tour, John Sally
had just finished his playing days with Georgia Tech. He
(18:27):
joined the tour with Bias and were called the large
amounts of money that players received. Lenny was like, yo, man,
you can make like thousand dollars on this. They didn't
want to pay me, No thirty thouars. They gave him
any all the day. That's what I remember. I think
he was making um game. Can you imagine seventy guys
(18:51):
in the NBA wasn't making that regulate in games I got,
I got thirty five huntres, but I would think that
Lenny was getting at least above I would say seventy five.
Despite all that, Bias showed signs of needing money days
before the draft. John Brown opened Bentley's Restaurant in College
Park in the late nineteen seventies, near the Maryland campus.
(19:15):
Brown has been a longtime supporter of Maryland athletics and
often hosted meals for Maryland teams at the restaurant. A
couple of days before the NBA draft, Bias stop by
to say hello to Brown, and the two enjoyed lunch together.
After the meal, Bias asked to borrow money. In late March,
Bias had secured a loan of about twenty thousand dollars
(19:36):
from a local bank. He used the money to Lisa
Nissan three SX. A story in the Washington Post told
of biases shopping spreeze during the spring of nineteen eighty six.
He bought a fourteen carrot gold chain worth hundred dollars,
name plates for a friend and himself for five hundred
and fifty dollars, and jewelry for many of his female friends.
(19:59):
The report alls so claimed that he bought suits and
purchased two one million dollar disability insurance policies. Brown was
surprised that Bias needed more money. John Brown told me,
I said, Lynn, what happened to all your upfront money?
He said, I just don't have it. Bias needed what
(20:19):
he called airport money if he wanted to buy a
magazine or a newspaper or some gum. Brown told Bias
that he would give him the money, but only if
he worked for it. Bias agreed, so Brown directed Bias
to water shrubs that had just been planted on the
property Brown owned behind the restaurant. Neighbors noticed biases peculiar
work behind the restaurant and called Brown to wonder if
(20:42):
all was well with the soon to be high NBA
draft pick. He assured them there was nothing to worry about.
Bias worked for about ninety minutes. Brown then wrote him
a check for thirty seven dollars. Bias cash the check
at the bar before he left. Days later, Bias would
be in New York City, drafted by the world champion
Boston Celtics. He was going to make it as the
(21:04):
number two. Make about Celtics. It would have been so
sick you're listening to Len Bias. The mixed Legacy on
the eight side. The land Or was in a unanimous
Bosty Celtics select Len Bias at the University about It
was no surprise that the Boston Celtics picked Len Bias
(21:27):
number two in the nine six NBA Draft on June seventeenth.
After biases sophomore season at Maryland, he had attended a
Celtics camp run by the team's owner read our back
Jan Vulk, the team's GM at the time, first saw
Bias play at the camp. He was he was a
camp two seasons and uh, we watched him and he
(21:50):
just didn't take much to it. Came out as a
in the crowd, red red like them a lot. It
was clear that he was that he is very um
uh impressed with the work ethic, with the with the
skill set and with the attitude. He was clearly physically dominant.
(22:14):
He was he was mean. He had a mean, mean
en court game and that was that was important. Here
was the Celtics scouting report on Bias. He was a
bigger Michael Jordan's with a better outside shot, but he
didn't drive to the basket as well while dribbling. After
the Celtics won the number two pick in the lottery
(22:35):
in through a trade. Bias was their prime target. Bob
Ryan was covering the Celtics for the Boston Globe. Well,
everyone to have a number two pick, and on top
of being a champion. It was, it was, it was orgasmic.
And I'm telling you if people were so excited. Shortly
after the draft, Bias had a series of interviews with
(22:56):
the Celtics in Boston. As Bias departed for a flight home,
he had some parting words for Volk and I said
goodbye to him at the curb, something to the effect,
please draft me, this is where I want to be.
I never had that happened before. The Celtics felt more
comfortable drafting Bias after he cleared a background check. It
was there was nothing, There was nothing different, There was
(23:16):
nothing that stood out, There were no red flags, there
were no areas of concern. Here's Lefty Drizzel speaking a
day after Bias died about his drug use. Well, I
would be very, very surprised because Leonard just had an
examination about the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors
and the New York Knicks, and you know, I'm positive
(23:38):
there were no drugs and those examinations, and he's completely
out of character for him to do anything like that.
That's one thing that I told Rid and all the
teams that were interested in him that they didn't have
to worry about him with drugs or alcohol. He was
born again Christian and a great person. At least one
other team, though, did have concerns. The Philadelphia seventies Sixers
had the top pick in the draft before trading to Cleveland.
(24:01):
The seventy sixers chief scout, the late Jack McMahon, felt
uncomfortable about drafting Bias. Pat Williams was the seventies Sixers
general manager at the time. He said, I'm not interested.
He said, there's something about him that concerns me. There's
something about him that just isn't right. But Jack didn't
(24:21):
know him, you know, he'd seen him play several times.
But Jack was a wise old basketball hit. Even though
we had the first pick, we did not bring him in.
We did not interview him. We were going to take him.
Williams could not claim that the concern was related to
drug use. It may have been related to his style
of play. Minutes after the Celtics drafted Bias, he talked
(24:42):
with a local reporter James Brown, the coach, coach ter back,
whether manage outer back, and he told me that he
told me that I wasn't gonna get much. I wasn't
gonna stop at a lot of playtime brought to me
the sixth man. When it all came down, were you
really hoping that it could have been Bolton in the end?
I remember, we're hoping out with Boston in my dream time.
(25:03):
True read. Our back was elated after they had picked Bias.
Here are his comments moments after Bias was picked. This
is a great kid. As a matter of fact, you know,
Larry Bird said that if we draft Bias, he's gonna
come up to the rookie camp. That's right. He is
(25:24):
very very high on Biased, as Casey was, and Jimmy
and and the owners, you know, Alan Cohen and Don Gasson,
they're all high on him. And he's the guy we wanted.
We got him. A lot of people are asking the question,
how do you improve the best team in basketball? Is
Len Bias? The answer to that, well, he gives us
a lot of support. He could play some god, he
could play some forward. He could play a powerfulward, a
(25:46):
quick forward. He is the best athlete in my opinion,
in the whole draft, and he's gonna really help this
book clip. You said, anybody's gonna have trouble breaking into
the Boston Celtics lineup. He knows that is Lenny Bias
gonna take the place of Kevin Mkhao, Larry Bright. He
knows that. But he'll get his playing time. But you know,
(26:07):
time goes, you know, time goes, Guys get older, they
get more playing time. We've had guys sitting around for
a while, except in this particular case, he's going to play.
After the draft, Boston Herald reporters Steve Bullpet noticed a
sign of things to come as he walked with Bias
and his family out of the arena. Bullpit flew on
(26:28):
the same airplane from New York to Boston as Bias,
and we kind of walked outside and just was able
to just capture the whole scene of kids on the
street already knowing that Lynn Bias has been drafted by
the Celtics. Remember one kid, I think taking off for
a sneaker and taking me sign my sneaker. The next
day in Boston, Bias met Celtics players and staff. He
(26:50):
also met with reps from Reebok. Media reports at the
time claimed that Bias had agreed to sign a contract
with Reebok his former coach left He. Grisel said Bias
told him so on a phone call. Left it. Grisel
told me, he said, I just want to thank you
for everything you've done for me. I just want to
let you know that I signed a million dollar contract
(27:11):
with Reebok. But that wasn't true, says Joanne borsekian Lette.
She was a recently hired associate marketing manager for Reebok
at the time who had worked with Bias. So there
was nothing signed. I can honestly tell you that still.
Borsekian or Lett added that Reebok wanted to sign a
new young talent and Bias was their number one choice.
(27:32):
The day after the draft, he spent the day in
Boston that included a tour of the Reebok headquarters, located
about twenty five minutes from Boston. And we bring him
in the office and he's very quiet, and you know,
very nice, very polite, and we're pretty excited about what's
going on. He's buying into everything that we've told him.
And what you gotta remember now, we are a very
(27:54):
small company. We probably had twenty people that in the
corporate office at the time, and we're making this pitch
to him of what we'll do with him. Um, you
know what type of he may or may not have
his own shoe. You know, it's all about what we
can put together because these things take time. You don't
just do that quickly. Um, we'd like him to be
(28:14):
involved in the process, and he'll be right there down
the street. You can come in as often as he wants.
And it was just a very positive meeting and exciting,
exciting day for everybody that was there. The tour included
a stop at the Reebok warehouse. We're biased stocked up
on Reebok gear, so we give him and his dad
some things to take with them, you know, apparel and shoes,
(28:36):
and he really likes the brand. He likes that he'll
be the guy here, you know, he won't be lost
in a stable of big stars anywhere else. He really
that that was what our biggest part of the pitch
was that he would be our guy. Really. Later, Borski
and Olette asked Bias to be a surprise guest at
a party Rebok held for two of its clients. Celtics
(28:58):
players Danny Ainge and Nis Johnson. Listen, we have this
event tonight. It's our key retailers. It would be really
cool to kind of unveil this um that you're with us.
Would you like to be part of that? And I
remember he said, as long as you can get me
back on my flight. I don't want to miss my
flight because it was the last flight out of Boston.
(29:19):
And I remember I said to him that I will
not let you miss that flight, you know, and and
you won't stay here tonight and he said to me, Um,
that's good because I just missed my mom. I want
to go see my mom. Bias attended the party with
his dad and his agent, Leef Interests of Advantage International.
His appearance would be a surprise to the guests, and so, um,
(29:41):
we had Danny and DJ and they had just won
the championship, so that was like a very cool thing,
and we announced them as world champions. Are very own
Boston Celtics, and everybody was going nuts in this little
reception room at the Sinesta. And then I think it
was Paul Fireman said, we have another announcement today. We've
had a special guest at the headquarters all day and
(30:06):
he wanted to meet all of you and say hello
to all of you. And then um, I was standing
by the door, literally listening to the door because before
cell phones and nobody could text each other and say
okay and t Now like I'm like up to the
little flap of the two doors. And then um, he said,
you all know Joyan boors Ak, and we're gonna have Joanne,
you know, open the door for the next guest. And
(30:26):
then it was Len and then everybody went nuts. Very
um you know, soft spoken and just you know, sweet
kind but you know, didn't dominate a room or anything
like that. Very happy to go from next guest to
next guest. And it was with Danny and DJ and
kind of having them, you know, lead him around as well.
(30:48):
With me. Johnny Walker lens Mentor remember getting a call
from Bias at the Reebok party. Walker told me he
called me and said, we're going to have everything we wanted.
I told him, we don't even wear rebox. Why are
you going to sign with Reeboks. You're not gonna wear
my shoe. I don't wear a rebox. He said he'd
(31:10):
be home sometime tonight. I said, just call me tomorrow.
I got to go to work in the morning. He said, man,
you won't have to go to work no more. After this.
We're gonna do everything and anything we ever wanted to do.
I said, okay, Leonard, okay. Bors Akian recalled one thing
that Bias later said while they drove to the airport,
(31:31):
and then he just said, yeah, I can't I wish
my mom was part of this, like I can't wait
to get home and see my mom. Next on lam
Bias and Mixed Legacy, he was supposed to come to
Colt house and we had banners and everything, and we
(31:52):
waited and we waited, and you know, nothing, nothing ever
happened to me. But we had another right, it's a
wappen I kept asking what happened, so I finally said it.
I said it was a drug that David started calling,
I mean screamed screen whence At that point, I said,
(32:25):
it's his heart beating and she said no, And it
was one other thing I ask. I said, well, I'll
never forget that. And I heard the news and I
couldn't believe it. I pulled over the side of the road.
I cried like I cried like a two year Old.
(32:46):
His podcast series is based on the book Born Ready.
The Mixed Legacy of Lambis was published by Go Grady Meeting.
The series is produced by Go Grady Media in partnership
with Octagon Entertainment. This segment was produced by David Grady
and Don mark was. It was written by Dave and
Grady and edited by Don Marcus. The narrator was Kevin Sheen,
the additional narration by Jamal Williams. Technical production was provided
(33:08):
by Octagon Entertainment. Production assistance was provided by Kevin McNulty,
Tina Quagliata, Lauren Rosch, Georgia Braun, Casey Fair, Jamal Williams,
Kelsey Mannix and enzo Al Varinda Matt Dewhurst is providing
the social media special thanks to the University of Maryland
and American University by providing Into the Decision. Education Foundation
(33:31):
is a content and promotional partner of this podcast series.
More information go to dog Grady Media dot com. This
has been a production of Go Grady Media and the
Eight Side Network by two
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.