LSU Basketball Great Wayne Sims Dead At 54

Former LSU men's basketball player Wayne Sims passed away on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Tigers' athletic department — Sims was 54. No cause of death has been determined.

Sims, who played in Baton Rouge under coach Dale Brown from 1987 to 1991, built an understated legacy. The 6-foot-7, 247-lb. Tiger was a bruising big man whose contributions on the scoring front and on the glass proved vital to the team's four consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.

The LSU athletic department's statement on Sims' passing read, "Wayne Sims played in 117 games over four seasons with 74 starts and is one of 21 players at LSU to post 1,000 career points (1,107) and 500 rebounds (603). His best season was his sophomore season of 1988-89 when he started all 32 games and averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds."

LSU's basketball program put out a commemorative post on Wednesday, honoring Sims. The caption read, "Forever in our hearts."

Elevating the Fighting Tigers to an SEC title, Sims put in work during his final season, averaging 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Former Tigers forward Ricky Blanton, who played with Sims from 1987 to 1989, reacted to his friend's passing.

"I was very sad to hear of the passing of my good friend, Wayne Sims," Blanton said. "He was a great teammate and even better person. If you knew Wayne, you could not help but be embraced by his extreme kindness. He will be missed by everyone who knew him."

Wayne Sims lost his son, Wayde Sims, in a fatal shooting on Sept. 28, 2018.

Rest in Peace