Today, we got the news that Marvin Stone passed away during a game in Saudi Arabia. It is always sad to hear such stories but this one is particularly because the worst could have been avoided eventually.
After a nice NCAA Career with Kentucky and Louisville, the Alabama native joined several European teams like Air Avellino or Paris. Several stints with NBA teams for Summer League play followed but he never had the real break out. Everything was prepared when he should sign with the European top team ALBA Berlin in 2005. But Marvin failed the medical test because of a problem with his cardiovascular system. So ALBA did not sign him.
However, several other teams either did not check or simply ignored these problems as he continued to play with different Cypriot or Greek teams. After his season ended this year in Cyprus, he joined the Saudi-Arabian team Ittihad Jeddah and passed away in the Elite Cup Semi-Final against Ohod with a heart attack. As I am not a doctor, I will not judge this but when a player gets a cardiovascular problem diagnose some years ago…