Jim Bradley story from Chicago Tribune. And no, Bradley was NOT on the cover of SI.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-...usive-club

The Sad Story Of Jim Bradley And Bubbles Hawkins
Odds & INS.
December 03, 1993|By Mike Conklin.
This may be difficult to grasp today, but 21 seasons ago the two most exciting college basketball teams in the area were Illinois State and Northern Illinois. They met once that 1972-73 campaign in De Kalb, and the showcase player was ISU senior Doug Collins. In all deference to Doug, most spectators came away from that contest, broadcast by radio play-by-play man Jim Durham, raving about two other players seemingly destined for NBA stardom.

One was NIU's Jim Bradley. He was a 6-foot-10-inch basketball genius of his day, who played only two seasons of college ball because freshmen weren't eligible and going to class became an annoyance for him. Simply put and without exaggeration, Bradley did all the things Magic Johnson made famous a decade later. Jim was the Huskies' tallest player, but he scored, rebounded, assisted, brought the ball up the court and routinely recorded triple-doubles before anyone knew what they were. His credits included a victory over Bobby Knight's Hoosiers. Against ISU that night, he scored 31 points and had 21 rebounds.

Northern won that shootout 92-88 in overtime, and the other player who stirred spectators was Bubbles Hawkins, a guard brought in by new ISU coach Will Robinson. On this night, Robinson's precocious rookie scored 21 points, only one less than Collins. Durham recalled that later in the season, when Doug was honored for his many accomplishments by the school before his final home game, Bubbles, who eventually would set the school's single-game scoring mark of 58, failed to pass to Doug as they raced down the court on a 2-on-0 fast break.

Hawkins was in the news this week. You may have read that, following a spotty career that never lived up to the early promise, he was found murdered-at age 39-in a crackhouse. Bradley? In 1982, Jim, whose pro career also was checkered, was found dead at age 29 in a Portland, Ore., alley. He had been shot in the back in what police said was a drug-related deal.

If there is a lesson, I'm not entirely sure what it is. But on that night 21 seasons ago, two talents crossed paths for a night, and now they are both dead before reaching 40. What a waste.

More plus the SI photo:
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/local/art...a5818.html