Lari Arthur Ketner (February 1, 1977 – October 10, 2014) 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. A , forward/ center, Ketner played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, and was selected by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

with the 49th overall pick (second round) of the 1999 NBA draft.

Career

Ketner played in two

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) seasons for three teams: Chicago Bulls ( 1999-2000),

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

(1999–2000) and

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

( 2000-01). He averaged 1.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.1 assists. After his brief NBA career, Lari tried a few minor league basketball teams. He played in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) for the Fort Wayne Fury and Idaho Stampede. On January 1, 2005 while standing outside of a nightclub talking to associates, Lari was shot eight times by an unknown person, ultimately ending his basketball career. Lari later followed his passion of working with disadvantaged children by working at several group homes in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Personal life

On August 28, 2013, at 36 years old, Ketner was diagnosed with Stage IV

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. After being diagnosed with cancer, Ketner completed the three courses needed to receive his bachelor's degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst. He completed his final course in August 2014 and received his degree. Lari was married to Aquarius Ketner and was the father of three children and stepfather of two. He resided in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died on October 10, 2014, in Avon, Indiana, from colon cancer at age 37.

References

External links

Profile
basketball-reference.com

UMassHoops.com * ttp://www.nba.com/playerfile/lari_ketner Profile NBA.com
Profile
sportsillustrated.cnn.com 1977 births 2014 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Deaths from cancer in Indiana Deaths from colorectal cancer Fort Wayne Fury players Idaho Stampede (CBA) players Indiana Pacers players Power forwards (basketball) UMass Minutemen basketball players {{1970s-US-basketball-bio-stub