Roy Tarpley was drafted #7 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1986 NBA Draft — one of the deepest classes in league history. Dennis Rodman. Drazen Petrovic. Brad Daugherty. Arvydas Sabonis. Len Bias. And Roy Tarpley.

In 1987-88, he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award while averaging 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds on 50% shooting across 81 games. Then in the Western Conference Finals, he had a 20-point, 20-rebound, 11-offensive-rebound performance against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the Showtime Lakers — and nearly knocked them out. Brad Davis said it plainly: if Roy had stayed healthy in every sense of the word, he could have been a top-50 player all time.

He never got the chance to find out.

The DWI in 1989. The missed drug test in 1990. The knee in 1990. The DWI in 1991 — acquitted at trial despite driving 63 in a 35 with a beer in his hand. The domestic violence arrest in April 1991. The lifetime ban in October 1991 for refusing his third drug test. The years in Europe. The $20 million reinstatement in 1994. The second lifetime ban in December 1995.

The ADA lawsuit. The undisclosed settlement. January 9, 2015: liver failure at 50 years old.

Kevin and Jeff cover all of it — including the Michigan years under Bill Frieder, the 1986 draft class, the Showtime Lakers series, the John Lucas Wellness Program, and what the Mavericks organization maybe should have done differently. Recorded live on Labor Day.

Intro Music:
Music by Marching Music -Guide Right -By John Philip Sousa | Royalty-free Music - Pixabay

Outro Music:
Music by Marching Music -The Thunderer By John Philip Sousa | Royalty-free Music - Pixabay

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