Rodney rogers, a former NBA player known for a stunning nine-second scoring burst during his rookie season and his 2000 Sixth Man of the Year award, has died at the age of 54, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced Friday. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Rogers starred at Wake Forest University, earning ACC Player of the Year honors in 1993 and being named a first-team All-American that same year. Drafted ninth overall by the Denver Nuggets in 1994, Rogers quickly made an impact, most memorably with a remarkable sequence against the Utah Jazz in February of his rookie season.Trailing by eight points with just 37 seconds remaining, rogers scored nine points - on three consecutive 3-point shots – in under nine seconds to briefly give Denver the lead before ultimately falling 96-95 after a game-winning jumper by Jeff malone.
beyond that iconic moment, Rogers enjoyed a nine-year NBA career, also playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix suns, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers. He achieved his greatest professional success with the Suns in the 1999-2000 season, averaging 13.8 points per game and earning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
“The last 17 years have been both challenging and profoundly blessed,” the NBPA statement read. “Through every moment, rodney remained a light - positive, motivated, and full of the quiet strength that inspired everyone around him.”
Rogers is survived by his wife, Faye; his children, Roddreka, Rodney Rogers II, and Rydeiahm; his mother, Estelle Spencer; and Eric Hipilito, whom Rogers embraced as a son.
