Arizona Wildcats, NBA, And More Pay Tribute To Late 76ers Assistant Sean Rooks

After former Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach, NBA center and Arizona Wildcats great Sean Rooks died on Tuesday, dozens of members of the basketball community and more expressed their condolences via social media.

Arizona Wildcats, NBA, And More Pay Tribute To Late 76ers Assistant Sean Rooks

The Sixers were naturally one of the first to tweet out their condolences:

Rooks had interviewed earlier on Tuesday for a job with the New York Knicks. He had visited with Knicks president Phil Jackson, general manager Steve Mills and head coach Jeff Hornacek for a job on Hornacek’s staff. He had spent the past two years on Brett Brown’s staff in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office stated stated Rooks had heart disease and passed of a heart attack, according to several reports. He was 46.

“It is with a profound deal of sadness that we mourn the sudden loss of a beloved son, father and friend, Sean Rooks. Words simply cannot express the heartbreak and shock our entire organization is feeling over this loss,” 76ers co-managing owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer said on behalf of the team.

Rooks was a coach since 2007. The 6’10” coach was previously a center and an All-Pac-10 player at the University of Arizona before he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks as the 30th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Rooks was a starter for the Mavericks during his rookie season.

Several other notable NBA members also sent out messages, including Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former fellow center Shaquille O’Neal, who was his teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-1999.

Rooks retired in 2004 after playing for 12 seasons. He averaged 6.2 points in 749 games with seven different teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Hornets.

Rooks is survived by his two children, his son Kameron, a 7-footer who plays for the University of California, and his daughter Khayla, as well as his mother, Deborah Brown. 

PHOTO: 20 Nov 2000: A close up of Sean Rooks #45 of the Los Angeles Clippers watching the action during the game against the New Jersey Nets at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. The Nets defeated the Clippers 86-85.