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4w ago

Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest Great and 12-Year NBA Veteran, Dies at 54

His family said he died of natural causes linked to the spinal cord injury he sustained in a 2008 accident.

rodney rodgers
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PHILADELPHIA, : The Boston Celtics' Rodney Rogers (L) blocks the path of the Philadelphia 76ers' Derrick Coleman (R) in the 1st period of game 3 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs 28 April 2002 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, PA. AFP PHOTO/TOM MIHALEK (Photo credit should read TOM MIHALEK/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Wake Forest and the National Basketball Players Association confirmed Rogers died on Nov. 21 and said he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
  • Rogers was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 1991 and the ACC Player of the Year in 1993 before being selected ninth overall in the 1993 NBA Draft.
  • He played for seven NBA teams across 12 seasons and won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2000 with the Phoenix Suns.
  • Rogers was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a 2008 dirt bike/ATV accident and later established the Rodney Rogers Foundation to support people with spinal cord injuries.
  • Tributes from the NBA, Wake Forest officials and former teammates praised his impact and resilience; he is survived by his wife, Faye, daughters Roddreka and Rydiah, sons Rodney II and Devonte, his mother, Estelle Spencer, and Eric Hipilito, embraced as a son.