Reggie Lewis
A graceful Celtics star whose life and career were tragically cut short, leaving a legacy of unfulfilled potential in Boston.
1965–1993 (age 28)·American basketball player·Birthday: November 21·Generation X
Biography
Reggie Lewis emerged from Baltimore's Dunbar High School, a basketball powerhouse, to become a quiet force at Northeastern University. Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1987, he was seen as a cornerstone for the post-Bird era, a smooth, 6'7" shooting guard with a lethal mid-range game. His ascent was steady and impressive, culminating in a 1992 season where he led the team in scoring and was named an All-Star. Then, during the 1993 playoffs, he collapsed on the court. Diagnosed with a heart condition, his fight to return was cut short when he suffered fatal cardiac arrest while practicing at Brandeis University that July. His death at 27 shocked the sports world, leaving the Celtics and their fans to forever wonder what might have been for the player who wore number 35.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Reggie was born in 1965, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Reggie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1965
#1 Movie
The Sound of Music
Best Picture
The Sound of Music
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Reggie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1965Born
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1970Started school
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1978Became a teenager
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Could drive
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1983Could vote
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Turned 21
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1993Died at 28
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Selected as an NBA All-Star in 1992 after averaging 20.8 points per game for the Boston Celtics.
- His number 35 was retired by the Boston Celtics in 1995, hanging in the rafters of the TD Garden.
- Led the Celtics in scoring for the 1991-92 season, averaging over 20 points per game.
- Was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 NBA All-Star Rookie Game.
Did You Know?
He attended the same Baltimore high school (Dunbar) as fellow NBA players Muggsy Bogues and David Wingate.
The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College in Boston is named in his honor.
He was the first draft pick of the Celtics in the 1987 NBA Draft, selected 22nd overall.
“I just try to play my game, be consistent, and help my team win.”
