Ricky Berry

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For other people with similar names, see Rick Berry (disambiguation).
Ricky Berry
Personal information
Born(1964-10-06)October 6, 1964
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
DiedAugust 14, 1989(1989-08-14) (aged 24)
Carmichael, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolLive Oak (Morgan Hill, California)
College
NBA draft1988: 1st round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career1988–1989
PositionSmall forward
Number34
Career history
1988–1989Sacramento Kings
Career highlights and awards
  • 3× First-team All-PCAA (1986–1988)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis Team competition

Ricky Alan Berry (October 6, 1964 – August 14, 1989) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Sacramento Kings.

Early life

Berry was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1964, when his father Bill Berry was a student-athlete at Michigan State University. The Berry family moved to the Sacramento, California area in 1966 when Bill Berry became head coach at a local high school and later Cosumnes River Junior College.[1][2] Berry attended Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California, when his father became head coach at San Jose State in 1979.[3]

Basketball career

Berry was 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and played small forward. After graduating from high school, he played for Oregon State in the 1983–84 season, and then transferred to San Jose State in 1984 to play under his father Bill Berry. After sitting out one year per transfer rules, Berry played for the San Jose State Spartans from 1985 to 1988. Berry was selected 18th overall in the 1988 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings and had a solid rookie season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range.

Berry is one of only three former San Jose State players to have his jersey retired, when San Jose State retired his number 34 jersey.[4]

Personal life

Berry was married and had a son.[5] Friends of his believed that Berry suffered from stress because of his marriage and he also engaged in infidelity.[5] Berry had a strained relationship with his parents who only lived two hours away when he was playing in Sacramento; he eloped without the approval of his parents and his mother did not like his wife.[5]

Death

On August 14, 1989, Berry was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot at his home in Carmichael, California.[5] It was alleged that he had been involved in a heated argument with his wife the previous night.[5] Berry had shown no signs of depression, but left a suicide note in which he reportedly wrote that his wife did not love him and was taking advantage of him.[6][7]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Source[8]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1988–89 Sacramento 64 21 22.0 .450 .406 .789 3.1 1.3 .6 .3 11.0

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bill Berry". NBA. 2002. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005.
  2. ^ Davidson, Joe (August 14, 2009). "Grief remains 20 years after Ricky Berry suicide". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009.
  3. ^ Geissinger, Steve (August 20, 1989). "What demons drove Kings' Ricky Berry to commit suicide?". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  4. ^ Thomas, Mike (January 29, 2020). "The Tragic Death of Sacramento Kings Swingman Ricky Berry". SportsCasting.com. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Spears, Marc J. (August 14, 2019). "'He was Reggie Miller with a handle': Thirty years ago, the NBA lost Ricky Berry". Andscape. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Norwood, Robyn; Evans, Clay (August 15, 1989). "Ricky Berry Is Apparent Suicide Victim : Sacramento Kings' Top Pick in 1988 Found Dead of Gunshot Wound". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  7. ^ McNeal, Martin (August 19, 1990). "Ricky Berry's Suicide Still a Mystery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Ricky Berry". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 7, 2021.