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Former Mavericks C Tarpley dies at 50
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Former Dallas Mavericks center Roy Tarpley died Friday at a hospital in Arlington, Texas.
No cause of death was listed for Tarpley, the No. 6 overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft whose career was cut short by drug and alcohol problems that led to a lifetime ban by the league. He was 50.
The Dallas Morning News reported Friday night that the current Mavericks players were told Tarpley’s death was the result of liver failure.
The 6-foot-11 Tarpley averaged 12.6 points and 10.0 rebounds in 280 career games. One of his career highlights came in his second season when he averaged 17.9 points and 12.9 rebounds while helping the Mavericks reach the 1988 Western Conference finals.
But after the 1987-88 season, when he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, the suspensions began for driving while intoxicated and violations of the league’s drug policy.
Tarpley was suspended three times in three years and didn’t return to the NBA until the 1994-95 season. He played in 55 games before he was suspended for life after violating the terms of his treatment program.
In 2007, Tarpley sued the NBA and the Mavericks, contending that the league and the team violated the American with Disabilities Act by not reinstating him. A settlement was reached in 2009.
