Remembering...

Today is the 8th anniversary of the incredibly unfortunate death of former Timberwolf Malik Sealy.

It was 8 years ago today that he was killed by a drunk driver while on his way home from celebrating Kevin Garnett's birthday in Minneapolis.

It was a shocking and utterly depressing occurance to happen to someone as great a player and person as Sealy was. It is still something that daily affects the lives of Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith.

“It was a tough situation to get over when you lose a teammate, especially in that fashion,” said Smith. “Everybody was close with Malik. That was the type of person he was."

During the Cavs/Celtics series, Garnett and Smith would bump arms before they entered the game. The reason? That is where their tatoo's to honor Malik are located.

That final season for Sealy was a special one. He had been around the league a little bit after being a standout player at St. Johns during his collegiate career. He hit several game winning shots and was a great person to have in the locker room.

I will never forget being at a game that season against the Indiana Pacers. My dad and I had season tickets at the time but had moved to the 4th row behind the hoop where the Wolves finished the game shooting on.

The Wolves were down by 2 with about a second left and Sealy got the ball just to the left of the key and put up a prayer. The ball hit the backboard and went in to give the Wolves a win. To this day, I remember everyone going nuts and Sealy's teammates mobbing him on the ground and celebrating their last second win. It was a great night for the Wolves and for Sealy.

He will always be remembered by fans in Minnesota as a great guy and a great player. He will surely be with Kevin as he makes his march towards his first NBA title. We, like Kevin, should always keep "MS2" in our hearts.

5/20/00....