Is Ben Wilson's Murder The Greatest Tragedy In Sports History?

[DatLBCGuy562]

It's definitely up there with Len Bias's overdose, Reggie Lewis/Hank Gathers collapse from cardiac issues, and Sean Taylor's murder.

The 35th anniversary of his death was a few days ago and I was revisiting the ESPN 30 for 30 on him, 'Benji'.

#1 rated high school basketball player in the country, out of Chicago's Simeon High, arguing with the teen mother of his son, not paying attention in the heat of the moment, and accidentally bumped into the wrong person who shot him over being "disrespected" Ben died over a "nikka moment". Smh. Such a tragedy.

Sidenote: him and R. Kelly were born two months apart and grew to be friends through competition, as well as basketball rivals. R. Kelly dedicated the song "I Wish" to Ben, specifically the line "and how I used to hoop off in them tournaments, with you....your family called the morning of a tragic end...damn..my condolences "

 

[Taadow]

I see what you saying, but...there's been a lot of sports tragedies...

I mean, off-top:

- Roberto Clemente
- Flight 571 rugby team

 

[THEREALBRAND]

-Humboldt Broncos, 16 junior hockey players died in a bus crash because a truck driver ran a stop sign.

-The Chapecoense plane crash that killed 77 people while on the way to the Copa Sudamericana Final.

 

[Michael's Black Son]

Benji is on the top of the tragedy “what if” list but there are others, like Clemente, that hit hard. Or even Thurmon Munson and the Yankees playing the same day after going to his funeral.

 

[MikelArteta]

um flight 932?
The plane was carrying 37 members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, eight members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters, and five flight crew members.

 

[G-Zeus]

Len bias....

Me not being 6'6..

 

[kevin arnold]

Terrell Coleman gotta be up there...dude was only a freshman

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

The Plane crash that killed the whole of the Zambian Football Team in 93, which has a bittersweet conclusion 19 years later.

1993 Zambia national football team plane crash - Wikipedia

The flight had been specially arranged by the Zambian Air Force for the football team. The journey was scheduled to make three refuelling stops; the first at Brazzaville, Congo, the second at Libreville, Gabon, and the third at Abidjan, Ivory Coast.[1]

At the first stop in Brazzaville engine problems were noted. Despite this, the flight continued and a few minutes after taking off from the second stop in Libreville the left engine caught fire and failed. The pilot, who had also flown the team from a match in Mauritius the previous day, then shut down the right engine, causing the plane to lose all power during the climb out of Libreville Airport and fall into the water 500 m (550 yd) offshore.


The members of the national team killed in the crash were buried in what became known as "Heroes' Acre", just outside the Independence Stadium in Lusaka.[6]

A new side was quickly assembled, and led by Bwalya, faced up to the difficult task of having to complete Zambia's World Cup qualifiers and then prepare for the upcoming African Nations Cup which was only months away.[3]

The resurrected team defied the odds, and displaying an attacking playing style, reached the final against Nigeria. They took the lead in the first half, but the Super Eagles quickly equalised and followed up with the winner in the second half. In spite of the loss, the Zambian side returned home as national heroes.[13]

In 2012, Zambia won the Africa Cup of Nations in Libreville, only a few hundred metres inland from the crash site; the victory was dedicated to the ones who lost their lives in the tragedy. Zambia beat Côte d'Ivoire 8–7 in a penalty shoot out after the game ended 0–0 after normal and added time.

 

[DatLBCGuy562]

Terrell Coleman gotta be up there...dude was only a freshman

I gotta check this out. I never even heard of this young man's story...

 

[The ADD]

Clemente has to up there

 

[kevin arnold]

I gotta check this out. I never even heard of this young man's story...

He had some type of heart condition, and collapsed on the court. He was going to be the next big thing

 

[Leasy]

He had some type of heart condition, and collapsed on the court. He was going to be the next big thing

‘damn just like Hank Gathers who was up there with Shaq

 

[mastermind]

I hate threads like this because there is no reason to compare tragedies.

But the Chapecoense was so damn shocking and fukked up on so many fronts.

 

[The G.O.D II]

RIP to benji but the R.Kelly lie needs to stop being told. He didn't play ball with dude and he sung in a choir with Kenwood at his funeral. And fukk that POS baby moms

 

[FaTaL]

Probably bias, he was the closest to the nba