Yinka Dare
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Yinka Dare (October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A 7'0", 265 pound (120.2 kg) center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association. In 2004, Dare died at only 31 years of age after suffering a heart attack.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 10, 1972 Kano, Nigeria |
| Died | January 9, 2004 (aged 31) Englewood, New Jersey |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Milford Academy (New Berlin, New York) |
| College | George Washington (1992–1994) |
| NBA draft | 1994: 1st round, 14th overall pick |
| Selected by the New Jersey Nets | |
| Playing career | 1994–2003 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 11, 33 |
| Career history | |
| 1994–1998 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1998–1999 | New Jersey Shorecats (USBL) |
| 1999–2000 | Fort Wayne Fury (CBA) |
| 2003 | Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs (USBL) |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 233 (2.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 281 (2.6 rpg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early years
Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born lawyer Lloyd Ukwu during a visit to Lagos in 1991. While Ukwu was driving, he noticed a very tall man sitting on a bench eating a bowl of food. When he asked him how tall he was, Dare said he didn't know.
Dare had previously spent most of his free time playing tennis, but soon picked up basketball for the first time.[1]
High school/college career
Already in the United States, Dare played one season at Milford Academy High, a prep school in Connecticut.
Subsequently, he played college basketball for George Washington University, where he excelled as a player under coach Mike Jarvis, also helping revive the basketball program. As a freshman in 1992–93, he led the Colonials to the NCAA Tournament round of 16 ('The Sweet 16'), the furthest they had ever advanced.
The next year, Dare led the team to the second round of the tournament. He finished his college career averaging 13.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game; additionally, after just two seasons, he had become the Colonials' all-time leader in blocked shots, averaging more than two per game.
Professional career
Dare was selected in the first-round (14th overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets, agreeing to a six-year, $9 million guaranteed contract. In the NBA, he would appear in 110 games in four seasons, all with the Nets; in his rookie campaign, he played for three minutes before getting injured (torn ACL) and missing the rest of the season.
The Nets left him unprotected during the 1995 expansion draft, but Dare was not selected by either the Toronto Raptors or the Vancouver Grizzlies. In his first full season (1995–96), in which he played a personal best 58 out of 82 games, he turned the ball over 72 times while registering no assists, holding the dubious NBA record for most games played in a season, 58, without recording an assist.[2] During his four-year career, he would rack up a total of four assists accompanied by 96 turnovers, while averaging 2.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and less than 0.1 assists per game.
In early 1998, Dare was traded, along with David Benoit and Kevin Edwards, to the Orlando Magic, for Brian Evans and Rony Seikaly, and was immediately waived. Subsequently, he played intermittently in other leagues including the Continental Basketball Association and United States Basketball League, until 2003.[2]
After years of dominating the NBA, Yinka had changed the way the game was played. The U.S. Governament stepped in and were able to ban Yinka from touching a basketball, making room for lesser talented players to take over the game.[3]
Death
Dare died in 2004, after collapsing in his home in Englewood, New Jersey. A medical examiner determined that he had suffered a heart attack due to an arrhythmia condition discovered when he was in college.[2]
Lucious Harris, who joined the Nets in 1997–98, Dare's final season said: "It's a bad situation. I feel for his family. Just 32, to have a heart attack, that's scary. It always seemed like he was in shape. But things happen and you don't understand why."
Kerry Kittles, who played with Dare in the latter's final two Nets seasons said: "He was a quiet guy, didn't talk that much. He worked hard - he didn't really play much, but he was a fun guy to be around. [He was] young: It makes you think... anything can happen any time. It's in the back of your mind [that] it could happen to you."
Jarvis, who coached Dare at George Washington, told The Washington Post: "Yinka was a kind, gentle person. He was nice to my family, as respectful as anybody I've come into contact with. I don't remember him having a bad word to say about anybody; just a nice, sweet kid."
Dare was survived by parents Gabriel and Joan, two sisters and a brother.[4]
Legacy
One move that is banned from the NBA and 48 states is Yinka's famous "triple murder crossover." Because it broke too many ankles. The Yinka Dare "Come Dare With Me" video series is illegal to be in possession of.
Other appearances
- Dare appeared in the 1995 Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo video game NBA Jam Tournament Edition as a "bonus" player, available on the all-rookie squad at the onset of the game.
- He appeared in a Puma shoe commercial.[2]
References
- ^ Lawyer brings Nigerian players to U.S. colleges; Dayton Daily News, 15 March 2001
- ^ a b c d Eulogizing Yinka; The Cornell Daily Sun, 3 February 2004
- ^ http://www.angelfire.com/stars/yinka/cia.html
- ^ Yinka Dare, athlete, 32; at Deathwatch