Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Sims’ age. We apologize for the error.
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Former LSU basketball player Wayne Sims, 54, has died, according to his family on Wednesday.
Sims was born in DeRidder and played on the LSU basketball team from 1987 to 1991. His cause of death is unknown at this time. He was the father of former LSU basketball player Wayde Sims, who was shot and killed on September 28, 2018.
According to LSU Athletics, “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.”
University officials said Sims was one of nine players in LSU history to appear in four NCAA events. He scored 24 points in “one of the great games LSU had in the then Louisiana Superdome on Jan. 28, 1989,” according to LSU. The Tigers upset No. 2 Georgetown, 82-80.
LSU Basketball tweeted out, “Forever In Our Hearts.”
LSU Athletics provided a quote from former LSU men’s basketball coach Dale Brown:
“Wayne was always yes sir, no sir. He had a good sense of humor. He brought the best out in players, and everyone liked him. He was a team player. Didn’t get the credit maybe he deserved for the great run they had, but he was a wonderful person … He was never a flashy guy that needed stardom, but he was the base to our team. He loved and embraced everybody. I think the biggest thing about him, we had a shy 6’9′ kid from North Dakota, Richard Krajewski, stayed with us all four years and graduated. Wayne and him became inseparable, Wayne made him feel at home. Nothing was flashy, but Wayne was very solid. To give you an idea of how loved he was, one of the very first calls I got today was from Shaq. He was all broken up because he loved Wayne so much. I don’t know anybody that didn’t love Wayne Sims. Walk-ons and some of the best stars have all called me. He was loved by everybody.”