Justin Michael Reed (January 16, 1982 – October 20, 2017) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player, who played at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

position.

College career

Reed led the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...

as part of the "Provine Posse", three former

Provine High School John W. Provine High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi ...

teammates (along with Aaron Harper and David Sanders) who played together for the Rebels. Under the tutelage of 2001 Naismith Coach of the Year Rod Barnes, Reed became an all-around player and a dominant force in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

. An All-SEC selection in each of his four years at The University of Mississippi, Reed led the team both on the court and in the locker room. As a freshman, Reed guided the Rebels through two

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

tournament wins en route to a first ever "Sweet Sixteen" appearance for the Ole Miss program in 2001.

NBA career

Following his successful career as a forward at the

, Reed was selected in the second round (40th overall) by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the

2004 NBA draft The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...

. Following one and one-half seasons with little playing time, he was traded to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

on January 26, 2006, in a multi-player deal; he enjoyed a successful 40 games with the Timberwolves and, at season's end, became a restricted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. Minnesota then rewarded him with a three-year contract worth $4,310,500.NBA Salaries - Houston Rockets
HoopsHype.com; accessed October 21, 2017. On June 14, 2007, it was officially announced that Reed and teammate Mike James would be traded to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, for

Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard ( ; born February7, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach ...

.Wolves, Rockets agree to Howard-James trade
ESPN.com, June 14, 2007. He was subsequently waived by the Rockets without having appeared in a single game for them.

Death

Reed died from

angiosarcoma Angiosarcoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that starts in the endothelial cells that line the walls of blood vessels or lymphatic vessels. Since they are made from Endothelium, vascular lining, they can appear anywhere and at any age, but older ...

, a cancer of the vasculature, on October 20, 2017.

References

External links

2008 NBA profile
* 1982 births 2017 deaths American men's basketball players Austin Toros players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from Jackson, Mississippi Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Deaths from angiosarcoma Deaths from cancer in Mississippi Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade Minnesota Timberwolves players Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards Small forwards FISU World University Games bronze medalists for the United States Summer World University Games medalists in basketball 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen {{1980s-US-basketball-bio-stub