Wayman Tisdale was a 6-9 (2.05) forward for Oklahoma when he won gold at the 1983 Pan American Games and was named to the 1984 Olympic team. As a college player he was one of only 10 players ever to be named first-team All-American for three years (1983-85). Tisdale then played for 12 years in the NBA, first with the Indiana Pacers, then with Sacramento, before finishing his career with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 15.3 points per game for his career, with an average of over 20 for five years, with a career best of 21.5 in 1989-90. After his playing career, Tisdale became an accomplished jazz musician, recording eight albums, while playing the bass guitar. His album “Way Up!”, released in 2006, became the #1 contemporary jazz album. In 2007, Tisdale broke his leg from a relatively benign fall and a cancerous cyst was discovered near his knee. He succumbed to the disease two years later.
United States