Malik Sealy (February 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player, active from 1992 until his death in an automobile accident at the age of 30. Sealy played eight seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball 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 in the United S ...

(NBA) for the

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 esta ...

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

and

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 ...

Early life

A native of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Sealy was named after noted

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

social activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

Malik Shabazz Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of ...

, better known as Malcolm X, for whom Sealy's father had been a

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...

. In his senior year at Tolentine High School, Sealy, along with future collegians Brian Reese, and Adrian Autry, went 30–1 and won the state title.

College career

Sealy 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 St. John's University, finishing his college career with 2,401 points, good for second all-time in St. John's history.

Professional career

NBA (1992–2000)

Sealy was drafted by the

with the 14th overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. Over the course of his NBA career, Sealy averaged 10.1 points per game in 23.8 minutes. As a rookie, he lost his playbook, which was turned over to WFAN radio personality

Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, ''Imus in the Morning'', was aired on various stat ...

, whom Sealy contacted on the air in an attempt to have it returned. His final season's highlights included making a game-winning reverse putback shot at the buzzer against the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

on December 27, 1999, which gave the Timberwolves a 107–105 road win. He also made a game-winning 3-pointer off the glass as time expired in a 101–100 Timberwolves win over the

on January 17, 2000.

Acting career

Sealy was also an aspiring actor, and had a major role as the talented but selfish basketball player 'Stacey Patton' in the 1996 motion picture ''

Eddie Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

'' starring

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

. He also made appearances on TV shows such as '' The Sentinel'' and '' Diagnosis: Murder''.Sealy dies in collision with pickup truck
May 22, 2000 In addition to this, Sealy designed ties and clothing and owned "Malik Sealy XXI, Inc."

Death

Sealy was killed in

St. Louis Park, Minnesota St. Louis Park is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 50,010 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a first-ring suburb immediately west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Min ...

on May 20, 2000. He was driving home from a birthday celebration for teammate and best friend

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...

in downtown

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

when his

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

was struck by a

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

traveling the wrong way down the highway. The truck was driven by 43-year-old Souksangouane Phengsene, who survived the accident with head and chest injuries. Neither driver was wearing a seatbelt. Phengsene's

airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. Th ...

deployed, but Sealy's SUV did not have one. Blood tests indicated that at the time of the accident, Phengsene had been driving drunk; his

blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For exampl ...

was 0.19%. The legal limit in Minnesota at the time was 0.1%. He pleaded guilty to a charge of

vehicular manslaughter Vehicular homicide is a crime that involves the death of a person other than the driver as a result of either criminally negligent or murderous operation of a motor vehicle. In cases of criminal negligence, the defendant is commonly charged ...

, was given a four-year prison term, and was released from prison in 2003. In April, 2008, Phengsene was given an eight year sentence for a subsequent drunk driving conviction. Sealy is buried at

Ferncliff Cemetery Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 280 Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States, about north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian. Ferncliff ...

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Greenb ...

Legacy

In Sealy's honor, the

retired his #2 jersey.

also paid a tribute to him, having written "2MALIK" in the inside of the tongue on the

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

Garnett 3 shoes. Garnett has a tattoo honoring Sealy's name on his right arm. Upon being traded from the Boston Celtics to the Brooklyn Nets in July 2013, Garnett changed his uniform number to #2 in honor of Sealy. In his homecoming to Minnesota on February 25, 2015, Kevin Garnett wore a #2 sweatband on his left forearm in memory of his best friend.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 58 , , 2 , , 11.6 , , .426 , , .226 , , .689 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , 5 , , 14.5 , , .405 , , .250 , , .678 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .2 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 60 , , 41 , , 26.7 , , .435 , , .301 , , .780 , , 3.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 62 , , 48 , , 25.8 , , .415 , , .210 , , .799 , , 3.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 80 , , 79 , , 30.7 , , .396 , , .356 , , .876 , , 3.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 77 , , 10 , , 21.3 , , .428 , , .220 , , .824 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 31 , , 7 , , 23.6 , , .411 , , .261 , , .902 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 61 , , 29.2 , , .476 , , .286 , , .812 , , 4.3 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , .2 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 493 , , 253 , , 23.8 , , .426 , , .292 , , .809 , , 3.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 10.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1993 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997 , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 3 , , 3 , , 26.3 , , .480 , , .200 , , .733 , , 1.0 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .348 , , , , .800 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 30.5 , , .463 , , .333 , , .688 , , 4.5 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 12.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 14 , , 7 , , 20.6 , , .415 , , .222 , , .737 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , 7.7

Notes

External links

Malik Sealy Statistics – Basketball-Reference.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sealy, Malik 1970 births 2000 deaths 2000 road incidents African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Detroit Pistons players Indiana Pacers players Indiana Pacers draft picks Los Angeles Clippers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Road incident deaths in Minnesota Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from the Bronx St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople American manslaughter victims