Justin Michael Reed (January 16, 1982 – October 20, 2017) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player, who played at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

position.

College career

Reed led the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

as part of the "Provine Posse", the three former

Provine High School John W. Provine High School is a public school in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Jackson Public School District. Nicknamed "Ram City", the school serves students in grades 9–12 in the West Jackson area. Students from the ...

teammates who played together for the Rebels (the other two being Aaron Harper and David Sanders). Under the tutelage of 2001 Naismith Coach of the Year

Rod Barnes Rodrick Kenneth Barnes (born January 8, 1966) is an American college basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach a California State University, Bakersfield, a position he has held since 2011. Barnes held the same position at the Un ...

, Reed became an all-around player and a dominant force in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

. An All-SEC selection in each of his four years at The University of Mississippi, Reed led the team both on the court and in the locker room. As a freshman, Reed guided the Rebels through two

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

tournament wins en route to a first ever "Sweet Sixteen" appearance for the Ole Miss program in 2001.

NBA career

Following his successful career as a forward at the

, Reed was selected in the second round (40th overall) by the Boston Celtics in the

2004 NBA draft The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...

. Following one and one-half seasons with little playing time, he was traded to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

on January 26, 2006, in a multi-player deal; he enjoyed a successful 40 games with the Timberwolves and, at season's end, became a restricted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. Minnesota then rewarded him with a three-year contract worth $4,310,500.NBA Salaries - Houston Rockets
HoopsHype.com; accessed October 21, 2017. On June 14, 2007, it was officially announced that Reed and teammate Mike James would be traded to the Houston Rockets, for

Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's team. A one-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA power forward, he began his NBA career ...

.Wolves, Rockets agree to Howard-James trade
ESPN.com, June 14, 2007. He was subsequently waived by the Rockets without having appeared in a single game for them.

Death

Reed died after a battle with

angiosarcoma Angiosarcoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that starts in the endothelial cells that line the walls of blood vessels or lymphatic vessels. Since they are made from vascular lining, they can appear anywhere and at any age, but older people are ...

, a cancer of the blood, on October 20, 2017.

References

External links

NBA.com profile
* 1982 births 2017 deaths African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Austin Toros players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from Jackson, Mississippi Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Deaths from angiosarcoma Deaths from cancer in Mississippi Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade Minnesota Timberwolves players Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Universiade bronze medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople {{1980s-US-basketball-bio-stub