List of basketball players who died during their careers (original) (raw)

This is a list of notable basketball players who died while still on a team roster or as a free agent. A majority died of accidents such as car or plane crashes. Some suffered sudden cardiac death, which has a higher incidence in basketball among young athletes. Some suffered from the heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is more common in African Americans. Basketball has a considerably higher ratio of African-Americans than other sports. Other deaths were caused by drug abuse.