December 9, 1989, Hank Gathers, A Loyola Marymount star basketball player collapsed at the free throw line during a home game (he was found to have an irregular heart beat and prescribed medication). Three months later (after slowing down on or stopping altogether his medications) he collapsed again, this time at the WCC tournament quarterfinal game against Portland. Gathers stopped breathing on the court and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital at age 23. “The 1990 WCC tournament was suspended, and Loyola Marymount was given the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament (as a #11 seed) due to their regular season championship. During LMU’s subsequent run to the Elite Eight, Gathers best friend and teammate Bo Kimble (who was right-handed), shot his first free throw of each game left-handed in memory of Gathers. The kicks you see below are not only special because they are the premier edition of a legendary shoe in a rare colorway, but also because the person wearing them is paying tribute to Gathers (no one knows the identity of the person wearing them but its suspected its Kimble). To check out more info on Hank Gathers visit his Wiki Page. Make sure and watch the 1990 Arsenio Hall interview with Bo Kimble below.
