Former NBA Star Roy Tarpley dies at the age of 50

Former NBA Star Roy Tarpley dies at the age of 50

By Big BOSS

Roy Tarpley’s life was a tragic tale revealing the consequences of getting involved with drugs and alcohol.  Tarpley had a promising career with the Dallas Mavericks in the 1980s and early 90s until he was banned for life for not leaving alcohol and drugs alone.

Tarpley died this week at the age of 50, leading to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban offering his condolences to the family.  There is no word on his cause of death, but years of hard living surely didn’t help him.

Tarpley played in 280 games over six seasons with Dallas. During that time, he averaged 12.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.  He hit the high point of his career in 1987, when he averaged 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.  That year, he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award.   He also helped take the team all the way to the Western Conference finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks wouldn’t make it to the playoffs again until the 2000s, with the arrival of Dirk Nowitki and Steve Nash.

Tarpley’s career took a nose-dive when he was banned for life in 1995 for violating a court-ordered program.  Before that, he’d been arrested for DWI on at least three separate occasions, revealing him to have a serious problem with substance abuse.

He wasn’t supposed to be drinking during his recovery program, and after being caught, the league was done with him for good.  Tarpley later sued the NBA for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, which defines his substance abuse problem as a disability. The thing about this disability is that it won’t alter your life if you say no in the first place.

BOSSes, we put an article up about why you should avoid drugs and alcohol.  It never leads anywhere good.