You’ve probably heard of Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But how much do you know about basketball legend Len Bias? Len Bias is considered by many experts to be one of the greatest college basketball players of the modern era. He was the second pick of the 1986 NBA Draft, taken by the Boston Celtics, where he was slotted to join megastars Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. But tragically, two days after being drafted, Len Bias died of heart failure due to cocaine intoxication.

	Len Bias was named ACC Player of the Year in 1985 and 1986. Since then, only three players have won this award back-to-back. The most recent player to do this is J.J. Redick (Duke University 2005-2006).   In 1985, Bias was a Second Team National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Consensus All-American.   In 1986, he was a First Team All-American.   Over his four years at the University of Maryland, Bias scored 2,149 points, averaging 16.4 points per game.

Steroids are often the drug most associated with sports. But all drugs endanger athletes, teammates, coaches, schools and sports seasons. Even drugs taken during the off-season or non-training days can significantly hurt athletic performance because their effects linger in the body and create risks to physical and mental health.  Following are some effects that athletes could experience from drug use.

MARIJUANA¹

• Problems with memory and learning — “I can’t remember the plays, coach.”
• Difficulty in thinking and problem solving — “They changed their defensive formation, I can’t figure out what to do.”
• Loss of coordination — “All my shots have been bricks today.”
• Increased heart rate — “It feels like my heart is going to explode.”
• Frequent respiratory problems — “I’m coughing up black junk.”
• Reduced blood oxygen — “I can’t catch my breath.”

ALCOHOL²

The detrimental effects of alcohol on athletic performance include impairment of the following:

• Balance and steadiness — “You’re benched until you stop tripping on your own feet.”
• Reaction time — “Try to throw the ball BEFORE you get tackled.”
• Fine and complex motor skills — “That is the sixth fault in a row!”
• Nausea, vomiting, marked unsteadiness, drowsiness — “Just when I though you couldn’t play any worse, you had to go and puke on the midfield, nice work.

Long term effects of alcohol use on athletic performance include:

• Weakening of heart muscle — “You just don’t have the stamina anymore.”
• Testicular shrinkage and male breast enlargement — “People in the locker room are starting to ask what is wrong with you.”
• Vitamin deficiencies — “You’re sick all the time, what is wrong with you?”

COCAINE³ (This is what killed Len Bias.)  

• Constricted blood vessels — “I can’t shake this pounding headache.”
• Abdominal pain and nausea— “I can’t get in the game, my stomach hurts too much.
• Increased temperature — “I think I’m going to faint.”
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure — “It feels like my chest is going to explode.”
• Chronically runny nose — “Gross. This is getting embarrassing”