Wayman Tisdale Dead at 44

Photo: Jeremy Charles

Oklahoma has lost a great musician, fantastic basketball player and even a better person today. Wayman Tisdale passed away early this morning after a two year fight with cancer. He was 44.

Tisdale was mostly known for his feats on the hardwood. The Booker T. Washington graduate was a three-time All-American at the University of Oklahoma and remains the Sooners’ career leader in scoring and rebounds. Last month, Tisdale was chosen for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the 1984 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic basketball team and went on to play 12 seasons in the NBA for Indiana (1985-89), Sacramento (1989-94) and Phoenix (1994-97).

Tisdale was also commercially and critically successful in the world of jazz music. As a bassist, he recorded eight albums, with 2001’s Face to Face and 2008’s Rebound peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart. He was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2002.

The cancer was first discovered after Tisdale broke his right leg after a fall down a flight of stairs in February 2007. In August 2008, he had that leg amputated below the knee.

“Nothing can change me. You go through things. You don’t change because things come in your life. You get better because things come in your life.” - Wayman Tisdale

Funeral services have yet to be announced.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.

After the jump, remembrances of Tisdale and some videos.

“Oklahoma has lost one of its most beloved sons. Wayman Tisdale was a hero both on and off the basketball court. Wayman played at OU during the time I attended school there, and I had the privilege of seeing a true champion in action. He was an incredible athlete and competitor. Off the court, he was an equally gifted musician and a tremendous ambassador for our state. I had the pleasure of appointing Wayman to serve on the state Tourism Commission, and it was one of the best appointments I have made as governor.” - Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry

“Wayman, through this fight of his, was the most courageous person that I’ve ever seen. He was so positive he almost made you feel he was okay when you knew he wasn’t. It’s a shock. I don’t know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale. He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive. This is a really hard loss and makes any loss in basketball or any other sport insignificant. He was a great human being. I’ll miss everything about him.” - former Oklahoma basketball head coach Billy Tubbs

“Wayman Tisdale is one of the best people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He had an incredible gift of making the people who came in contact with him feel incredibly special.” - University of Oklahoma basketball coach Jeff Capel

“A lot of people didn’t know how sick he really was. The one thing he did until the very end was he lived his life the way he wanted to. When I called and talked to him on the phone the one thing he always told me was, ‘Don’t feel sorry for me’. He said not to go around and give him a pity party. He said he lived a great life and I’m going to let the chips fall where they may. I’m going to battle to the very end.” - former Oklahoma basketball player and teammate Stacey King

“He was my man. I played with him pretty much all my life, going back to AAU. He was the reason I wanted to go to OU. I wanted to play with one of the greatest players to ever come out of Oklahoma. He was a great person. He was always positive, he never let the negative bring us down as a unit. He always smiled and kept us together. I’ll miss him. He was one of my brothers.” - former Oklahoma basketball player and teammate Darryl “Choo” Kennedy

“I can’t say that I was shocked. He was the type of person that wanted people around him to reflect the joy inside of him. When we had a celebration in Greenwood a few weeks back, the signs were there. The principals involved wanted to move it forward. They sensed it would be the last time he would be around with all of his friends and family.” - former Oklahoma football player Spencer Tillman

“This is obviously a sad day, not just for Sooner fans but for anybody who knows Wayman, knows the kind of person he is, the joy he brings into people’s lives and the example he is to everybody. I was privileged to get to know him over the two years I was at OU. I spoke with him pretty frequently this past season and he helped me in ways he probably doesn’t even know. He’s touched so many lives. I’m just happy he’s going to a better place.” - former Oklahoma basketball player Blake Griffin

“Wayman Tisdale was not only a great athlete and musician, he was above all a great person. He constantly demonstrated his care and concern for others and was a worthy role model for all of us young and old. The University of Oklahoma will always be proud of his association with the university.” - University of Oklahoma president David Boren

“It’s a devastating loss for the Booker T. Washington family, the Tulsa community and anyone who came in contact with Wayman Tisdale. He touched many lives.” - Booker T. Washington Principal Micheal Johnson

“The world is a darker place today after losing Wayman. He is a man who loved life with a fervent passion, even when life was less than kind to him. He found so much joy in the every day: music, basketball, his family and really, just being alive. My heart goes out to his family and friends. I feel lucky that I spent four days with such a remarkable person and hope others still can learn from his story and be inspired.” - ESPN’s Anna K. Clemons

“The entire Thunder organization is deeply saddened by the loss of Wayman Tisdale. We will forever remember the April night he was honored at a Thunder game. His smile radiated throughout the arena as fans and players on both benches all rose and cheered in tribute. He was a remarkable athlete and competitor, but most of all a tremendous person. His courage fighting cancer and helping others along the way are a lasting inspiration for us all. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Regina, their children and the entire Tisdale family.” - Oklahoma City Thunder chairman Clay Bennett

“When I think of Wayman Tisdale I think of one the absolutely most delightful players that we’ve had in the 24 years I’ve been associated with this organization. He was certainly one of the most outstanding players and his stats would prove that. I’ll take it a step further; there was never a time when he wasn’t the most popular player in the locker room. He had no enemies. If he had a bad game, he would never point fingers at teammates and coaches. Wayman was always a stand-up guy. He was a person who knew what he wanted after his playing days were over, hence his preparation in his music career. He knew that being a jazz musician was the direction he wanted to go, and I’ve always admired that about him. He married his high school sweetheart. His family was great and Wayman always put them first. Again, he was a stand-up guy in every way, a delight to coach and honor to know.” - Sacramento Kings director of player personnel Jerry Reynolds

from oklahomarock.com