12 NBA Players who died during their Playing Career 

Sadly, no one is exempt from death; not even our favorite stars. They're all just as human as the rest of us, despite their many seemingly impossible feats.

Former players pass away all the time, and as much as it's hard to take, we must admit that it's sort of expected. But when they leave us while still deeply embroiled in various disciplines, it's something totally different; and my does it sting.

Many athletes have shockingly kicked the bucket while still playing, and the NBA is certainly no exception. Here are 10 such players who may be gone, but will never be forgotten.

#12 Malik Sealy

Malik Sealy

Malik Sealy was a small forward who represented the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. Drafted by the Pacers as the 14th overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft, Sealy’s career only lasted eight years.

The player’s life was unfortunately cut short while he was driving home in his SUV after attending the birthday party of his teammate and best friend Kevin Garnett, who had just turned 24. His vehicle was struck by a drunk truck driver who was driving on the wrong side of the road. The truck driver survived the ordeal as his airbag deployed, but as fate would have it, Sealy’s SUV wasn’t equipped with such a device.

Sealy, who was 30 at the time of his death, had only played one season with the 15-time All-Star, but they shared a great relationship. Garnett got a tattoo of his former teammate’s name on his right arm following his death and chose his No.2 when he moved to the Brooklyn Nets in honor of his fallen friend.

The Timberwolves retired the number #2 after Sealy’s death.

#11 Reggie Lewis

Reggie Lewis (Image courtesy: celticsblog.com)

Reggie Lewis spent all of his six years playing for the famed franchise of the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, those were the only seasons he played in the league.

Drafted in 1987 by the Celtics, Lewis lost his life in the offseason of 1993 when he suffered a sudden cardiac death on the court during practice on July 27th.

Over the course of his six years at Boston, L averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 48.8% from the field. At 6-foot 7, he was a combo guard, who could play both the 2 and 3 spot. In his final three seasons with the team, he took over the starting role from Larry Bird and averaged close to 19 points per game.

#10 Fernando Martin

Fernando Martin (via elespanol.com)

Fernando Martin was the first Spanish national to join the NBA, doing so in 1986. He was also just the second European to play in the league and was one of the biggest basketball talents in his country during his time as a player.

Best known for his stint at Real Madrid, Martin won four Spanish league titles, three Copa del Rey trophies, two Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a Club World Cup with the side.

After moving to the United States, the 6ft 9in forward joined the Portland Trailblazers, but due to various injuries only made a meager 24 appearances. He moved back to his country at the end of that season, and in a shocking turn of events, perished in a car accident at the age of 27 in December of 1989, leaving the sports world in complete shock.

#9 Len Bias

Len Bias (via tidesports.com)

The former college star never got to play a single NBA game before his untimely passing.

Bias was selected by the Boston Celtics as the second pick in the 1986 draft after a remarkable spell at the University of Maryland. He had loads of promise and was thought to be nearly on par with Michael Jordan, even completing talks with sportswear giants Reebok over a $1.6 million dollar endorsement upon his arrival in the league.

But despite all of the grand developments in his life, Bias joined friends for the last party he would ever have, on a fateful morning in June of the aforementioned year, passing out through cocaine use. He was pronounced dead nearly three hours later, as a result of cardiac arrhythmia from a cocaine overdose.

The Celtics proceeded to hang his jersey from their rafters, with then-coach Red Auerbach claiming that the city of Boston hadn’t been this taken aback since the assassination of U.S President John F. Kennedy.

#8 Robert Traylor

Robert Traylor

Tractor Traylor, as he was known, suited up for a few NBA teams including the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers Cavaliers and New Orleans/Charlotte Hornets. But he battled weight issues all through his career.

Drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1998 lottery, Traylor emerged as the sixth overall pick. The Mavs, though, would immediately trade him to Milwaukee for Pat Garrity and Dirk Nowitzki, and it’s certainly not a move they’ll ever regret.

The Michigan native last played in the NBA with the Cavs, leaving in 2005 to play in Spain and various other countries as well like Mexico, Italy, Turkey and finally Puerto Rico.

He bounced around a few other teams before being found dead in his apartment in Puerto Rico on May 11, 2011. He had been on a phone call with his wife when he suffered a heart attack, and she alerted the authorities when the call suddenly dropped. Unfortunately, they would not get there in time to be of any help.

Traylor was 34 at the time of his death.

#7 Jason Collier

The first active NBA player to die since Malik Sealy, Jason Collier met his end as the result of a "sudden heart rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart". The former center was playing for the Hawks at the time of his death, having spent time with the Houston Rockets and D-League side Fayetteville Patriots.

Collier was drafted by the Bucks in 2000 but was sent to Houston in exchange for Joel Przybilla. Five years into his metier, at 28 years of age, the 7ft big man suddenly passed away, with his autopsy revealing the aforementioned.

The doctor who conducted the autopsy said that Collier’s heart was one and a half times the size it should have been, even for a man of his stature.

#6 Conrad McRae

Conrad McRae (#15) - via syracruse.com

Conrad McRae was drafted by the Washington Bullets in the second round of the 1993 NBA draft, but would eventually move to Europe following his failure to cut it on the team. He made a name for himself on the continent, prompting the Denver Nuggets to bring him back to the States on a 10-day contract in 1999.

That too was cut short after the player collapsed in training. However, the Orlando Magic would take him up on a deal as well the following year. McRae collapsed and passed away whilst playing for the Magic’s Summer League team, at the age of 29.

Last year, Syracuse University had their gym named after him, with McRae having starred for the school from 1989 to 1993.

#5 Lorenzen Wright

Lorenzen Wright #42

The former forward’s death is still an unsolved mystery.

Lorenzen Wright played for five NBA teams before his death in 2010, with the last being the Cavs. He went missing on July 18 of that year after leaving his ex-wife’s residence, and his family reported his absence four days later.

Wright's body was found six days after the report was filled, and reports state that a 9-1-1 call was made from his number on the morning of July 19. The caller was having a conversation with the dispatcher when several gunshots were heard, but the case remains unsolved due to the call not being traced as it should have.

#4 Drazen Petrovic

Drazen Petrovic (Image courtesy: nba.com)

Drazen Petrovic had four noteworthy seasons in the league from 1989 to 1993, playing for the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn). Obviously his most successful season was his last, where he averaged 22.3 points per game while shooting 51.8% from the field. That year, he was voted in as a selection for the All-NBA.

But he earned his place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for more than just his NBA accomplishments. He represented Yugoslavia for most of his career, however, he played for Croatia in his final tournament, with whom he won the silver medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

He lost his life as part of a tragic traffic accident in the summer of the 1993, just a few months before his 29th birthday.

#3 Bobby Phills

Bobby Phills (via sportingnews.com)

The Louisiana native was quite the talent and would average 11.0 points during his nine-year career. Having built a reputation as a defensive menace, as well as a great perimeter shooter, there’s no telling where Bobby Phills could have ended up.

A former shooting guard, Phills last played for the Charlotte Hornets, where he spent three years before his life was cut short by a tragic vehicular accident in January of 2000. Phills and teammate David Wesley were said to be driving at high speeds when he lost control of his Porsche and hit two oncoming vehicles. The other drivers survived, but the player was pronounced dead at the scene. His jersey (#13) was later retired by the Hornets, an act that made him the first-ever player to have their jersey in the rafters for by the franchise.

#2 Ricky Berry

Ricky Berry - sbnation.com

Ricky Berry was the 18th overall pick in the 1988 draft and was tipped to have a very successful NBA career. He had a decent first season in the league, recording averages of 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Sacramento Kings.

Rather shockingly, though, Berry was found dead in his California home during the offseason with a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an argument with his wife. A suicide note was found at the scene, but many questioned the legitimacy of the document due to the fact that the player was living a seemingly good life, making good money and had no history with drugs.

Berry would have turned 25 in a few weeks.

#1 Eddie Griffin

Eddie Griffin - (via sportingnews.com)

Although he was one of the brightest talents of his class, Eddie Griffin struggled with alcoholism and missed an entire season in rehab after re-joining the New Jersey Nets. Griffin, the 7th overall pick in 2001, would have been higher in the draft if not for his attitude, and the Nets traded him to the Rockets after drafting him.

He returned to New Jersey in 2004 after being released by the Rockets for missing practice sessions and a team flight. And he would later wind up in Minnesota with the Timberwolves, where he would also get released.

In 2006, a 25-year-old Griffin met his death after ignoring a railroad warning and driving through a barrier. He was killed when a train drove right into his SUV and his body was so badly burned, it took dental records to identify him. He was also reported to have three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.