Ex-Wake Forest star and former NBA forward Rodney Rogers dies at 54
ex-wake-forest-star-former-nba-forward-rodney-rogers-dies-54
Winston-Salem, N.C. — Rodney Rogers, the power forward who rose from high-school sensation to Atlantic Coast Conference standout and enjoyed a 12-year NBA career, died Friday at age 54, Wake Forest University announced Saturday.
The National Basketball Players Association, speaking for Rogers’ family, said he succumbed to natural causes related to the 2008 dirt-bike accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Selected ninth overall in the 1993 NBA draft, the 6-foot-7 Rogers scored nearly 9,500 points while playing for the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers. He captured the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award with Phoenix in 2000.
Before turning professional, Rogers earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 1991 and was named the league’s Player of the Year in 1993. His No. 54 jersey is retired at Wake Forest, where he averaged 21.2 points during the 1992-93 season and helped the Demon Deacons reach the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16. The muscular forward had acquired the nickname “Durham Bull” during his prep days.
Following his spinal-cord injury, Rogers established a charitable foundation that supports people with similar injuries and promotes resilience. Wake Forest recognized those efforts with its Distinguished Alumni Award and an honorary degree in 2022.
“Rodney is the strongest person I have ever met — physically and mentally — and his resilience was evident in the fight he showed every single day,” former teammate Randolph Childress said in a statement released by the university.
Dave Odom, Rogers’ college coach, added: “He loved his teammates, he loved his family, he loved Wake Forest and he loved the game of basketball. He shared his strength, his spirit and his life with everyone around him.”
Rogers is survived by his wife, Faye; daughters Roddreka and Rydiah; sons Rodney II and Devonte; his mother, Estelle Spencer; and Eric Hipilito, whom he embraced as a son.
Source: ESPN
