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Len Bias was primed for basketball stardom before he made a fatal decision on June 19, 1986. Two days after the Boston Celtics made Bias the number two pick in the NBA draft, he chose to consume a large amount of cocaine, suffered a heart seizure and died. Bias was considered as good, if not better, than Michael Jordan, who was a year older. His career could have been one of the greatest in NBA history.

 

Before games, Bias’s coach Lefty Driesell would ask his player how he felt. Bias’s typical response: “Coach, I was born ready.” It turns out, Bias was born ready to be a great basketball player, but he was not born ready to make the best decisions about things that could affect his future.

 

Bias’s death proved the potential consequences of making a bad decision. Bias’s family and friends still struggle to accept his death. The University of Maryland athletic department fell into a period of despair and restructuring that still affects the department today. Federal drug legislation that created great disparity in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine users and distributors has resulted in overcrowded prisons and a disproportionate number of young black men being sent to jail. The mighty Boston Celtics, 1986 NBA champions, then entered into a prolonged period of futility.

 

Every day, young people make decisions that alter their lives, some more grandly than others. Born Ready Project founder Dave Ungrady speaks to students/athletes at schools, clubs, camps and events, as well as adults, about the importance of decision making and resilience, using Len's story as a tool to help young people determine the greatness for which they were “born ready”.