Rodney Rogers, the ‘Durham Bull’ who was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, dies at 54

By AARON BEARD Former Wake Forest star and -year NBA player Rodney Rogers has died He was The school informed Saturday that Rogers had died on Friday Rogers the No overall NBA draft pick in had been paralyzed from the shoulders down since a dirt bike accident in November Rogers died of natural causes linked to his spinal cord injury according to a report from the National Basketball Players Association on behalf of Rogers family The last years have been both challenging and profoundly fortunate the NBPA message mentioned Through every moment Rodney remained a light positive motivated and full of the quiet strength that inspired everyone around him Rogers was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year in and performer of the year in whose No jersey was retired by the Demon Deacons The burly -foot- forward with powerful athleticism earned the Durham Bull nickname during his prep career then went on to amount nearly points in the NBA while being named league sixth man of the year in Rogers injury led to the establishment of a foundation bearing his name with Rogers encouraging people with spinal cord injuries while promoting resilience and personal development in the face of those challenges The school honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in along with an honorary degree Rodney is the strongest person I have ever met physically and mentally and his resilience was evident in the fight he presented every single day activity great and former teammate Randolph Childress reported in a announcement disclosed by the school I ve mentioned this before and I still mean it at present he was the best athlete ever to walk onto Wake Forest s campus He meant so much to so multiple people and I feel profoundly favored to have been with him the last evening Rogers played three years at Wake Forest averaging points in the - season that saw Wake Forest reach the NCAA Tournament s Sweet before entering the NBA draft as a junior He started his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and went on to play with the Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Boston Celtics New Jersey Nets New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia ers It s easy to focus on his extraordinary talent but what stood out to everyone who knew him was that he was every bit as remarkable as a human being commented Dave Odom Rogers coach at Wake Forest He loved his teammates he loved his family he loved Wake Forest and he loved the battle of basketball He loved playing for Wake Forest Every time we visited him I walked away reminding myself never to complain because he never did He faced life exactly as it came and made the very best of every moment He was a delight to watch as a basketball performer but he was an even greater man He shared his strength his spirit and his life with everyone around him According to the NBPA comment Rogers is survived by wife Faye daughters Roddreka and Rydiah sons Rodney II and Devonte his mother Estelle Spencer and Eric Hipilito embraced as a son by Rogers AP NBA https apnews com hub NBA