Wayman Tisdale was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played in the NBA from 1985 to 1997 for three teams, the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and the Phoenix Suns.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was born on June 9, 1964, in Fort Worth, Texas in the United States. He died on May 15, 2009, at the age of 44 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He died of cancer two years after he was diagnosed.
Tisdale is the son of a well-known pastor in Tulsa. He did not take basketball seriously until he was in eighth grade when he first learned to dunk. He was married to Regina Tisdale whom he met in 1981. Aside from basketball, one of his big interests was music.
| Position | Power Forward |
| Height / weight | 2.06 m / 118 kg |
| Born | 9 Jun 1964 |
| Died | 15 May 2009 (44 years) |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Playing Style | Left Handed |
| Team History | |
Phoenix
|
1994 - 1997 |
Sacramento Kings
|
1989 - 1994 |
Indiana Pacers
|
1985 - 1989 |
High School and College Career
He attended Booker T. Washington High School in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In his senior year, he was named Mr. Basketball USA. He was also named a McDonald’s All-American and was named to the First-team Parade All-American.
Tisdale received several college offers but chose to commit to the University of Oklahoma where Coach Billy Tubbs agreed to let Tisdale continue practicing music and attending church on Sundays, even going so far as changing the team’s Sunday practice schedule to accommodate Tisdale.
He attended Oklahoma from 1982 to 1985. While there, Tisdale was named to the Consensus First-Team All-American three times. He was also thrice named the Big Eight Player of the Year. Later, the Oklahoma Sooners would retire his jersey number.
Professional Career
In 1985, was picked by the Indiana Pacers 2nd overall in that year’s NBA Draft. He played with the Pacers from 1985 to 1989. From 1984 to 1989, he played for the Sacramento Kings, and from 1994 to 1997, he was part of the Phoenix Suns team.
In addition to his professional career, Tisdale also represented the United States in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where the team won the gold.
Career Highlights
- 1983–1985 - Consensus first-teamAll-American
- 1983–1985 - Big Eight Player of theYear
- 1983–1985 - First-team All-Big Eight
- No. 23 honored by Oklahoma Sooners
- 1982 - Mr. Basketball USA
- 1982 - First-team ParadeAll-American
1982 - McDonald’s All-American
- 2009 - College Basketball Hall ofFame
- Gold - 1984 Los Angeles OlympicGames
- Gold - 1983 Caracas Pan AmericanGames
