The NBA has witnessed its fair share of tragic losses, with young players passing away just as they achieved their dream of reaching the league. Be it the case of Len Bias, who passed away due to drug abuse, or Reggie Lewis dying of a heart attack, numerous incidents have discouraged fans. However, none have been as shocking as the demise of New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, who was fatally shot for opening the wrong door and room.
Dejean Jones’ shocking case
While Dejean Jones might have never been a star on the basketball court, he slogged his way through to reach the NBA as he had the necessary talent. Interestingly, since his college career, the 6’6” shooting guard struggled with temper issues. Though he began his freshman year at Southern California, he had to leave after getting into confrontations during team practices. Then, he joined UNLV, which, after two seasons, decided to cut him from the roster. Ultimately, Jones completed his senior year with Iowa State. In four years, he represented three college programs and averaged 10.8 points per game.
With subpar stats, his penchant for becoming a fuss did not attract any NBA team to believe in him. As a result, Jones went undrafted in 2015. Nevertheless, the Pelicans gave him a chance to play for them in the Summer League. Afterward, he joined their D-League affiliate - Idaho Stampede.
In January 2016, Dejean was initially signed on a 10-day contract; he played really well, so he was offered another 10-day contract before being signed to a 3-year, $2 million permanent deal with the team.
However, his joy lasted for mere days as he ended up injuring his wrist after signing his contract and was ruled out of the remainder of the 2015-16 season after featuring in 14 games.
Related: Robert Parish on the Len Bias tragedy: "I heard about it on April Fools"
Tragedy struck Dejean Jones
While expectations were high from the California native to take proper rest and return for the next campaign in full health, to be able to play a solid supporting role, unfortunately for Bryce, he wasn’t going to get another chance.
In May 2016, Bryce traveled to Dallas to visit his girlfriend and celebrate his daughter’s first birthday. As the Pelicans player attempted to return to his girlfriend’s apartment, Jones mistakenly went to the third floor instead of the fourth. Moreover, after seeing the room locked, he kicked it open. The resident living in that apartment was shocked to see the intruder bursting into the room and immediately shot Jones. Though there was a desperate attempt made to rush the shooting guard to the hospital, he couldn’t survive.
According to Jeff Pearlman, Bryce and his girlfriend not only had fought earlier that night; the California native’s blood-alcohol level was 0.188 (anything over 0.08 was to be considered legally intoxicated for someone his weight), and Jones also tested positive for marijuana.
Related: Robert Horry reflects on a tragedy that happened in his life when remembering Kobe Bryant's death
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