Sean Rooks

Sean Rooks
	Rooks, circa 1987
Personal information
Born	September 9, 1969; New York City, New York
Died	June 7, 2016 (aged 46); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school	Fontana (Fontana, California)
College	Arizona (1988–1992)
NBA draft	1992: 2nd round, 30th overall pick
	Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Playing career	1992–2012
Position	Center
Number	45
Coaching career	2007–2016
Career history
As player:
1992–1994	Dallas Mavericks
1994–1996	Minnesota Timberwolves
1996	Atlanta Hawks
1996–1999	Los Angeles Lakers
1999–2000	Dallas Mavericks
2000–2003	Los Angeles Clippers
2003–2004	New Orleans Hornets
2004	Orlando Magic
2005	Unicaja Málaga
2005	Joventut Badalona
2011–2012	Los Angeles Slam
As coach:
2007–2008	Bakersfield Jam (assistant)
2010–2011	New Mexico Thunderbirds (assistant)
2012	Sioux Falls Skyforce (assistant)
2012–2013	Phoenix Suns (assistant)
2013–2016	Sioux Falls Skyforce (assistant)
2014–2016	Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
	First-team All-Pac-10 (1992);
Career NBA statistics
Points	4,676 (6.2 ppg)
Rebounds	2,877 (3.8 rpg)
Blocks	499 (0.7 bpg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Sean Lester Rooks (September 9, 1969 – June 7, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1992 to 2004, and was an Assistant for Player Development for the Philadelphia 76ers. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, earning all-conference honors in the Pac-10 (known later as the Pac-12) as a senior. Rooks died of heart disease on June 7, 2016.

Early life

The 6'10" center was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round (30th overall pick) in the 1992 NBA Draft.^[4] He was a starter for the Mavericks in his rookie season and then again in 1995 for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also played for the Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Orleans Hornets, and the Orlando Magic. Rooks played twelve seasons in the NBA between 1992 and 2004.

After retiring, Rooks moved into coaching and served as an assistant coach in the NBA Development League for the Bakersfield Jam (2007–2008), the New Mexico Thunderbirds (2010–2011) and the Sioux Falls Skyforce (from March 2012).^[5] In 2012, he joined the Phoenix Suns' player development staff.^[6] He resigned from the staff in January 2013 to taking a coaching position overseas.^[7] From 2014 until his death, he was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rooks had 2 children, a daughter Khayla, and a son, Kameron, who was a member of the 2013–14 California Golden Bears men's basketball team recruiting class at the University of California, Berkeley.^[8]^[9]

Rooks died of heart disease in Philadelphia on June 7, 2016,^[10] hours after interviewing for a job on the New York Knicks coaching staff.^[11]

^ "Sean Rooks". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "#24 Greatest Wildcat of All Time: Sean Rooks". Arizona Wildcats Basketball. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "One-on-One with Sean Rooks". DailyWildcat.com. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "Sean Rooks". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "Phoenix Suns add Rooks, Hall-of-Famer Ralph Sampson to player development team". SB Nation. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "Sean Rooks hired as player development coach in Phoenix". SB Nation. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "New Suns coach Lindsey Hunter's staff up in the air". SB Nation. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "Sean Rooks applauds son's choice of Cal". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "#44 Kameron Rooks". Cal Athletics. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
^ "Ex-NBA player Sean Rooks, who interviewed for ass't gig with Knicks, reportedly died of heart disease". NYDailyNews.com.
^ Schilken, Chuck (June 8, 2016). "Former Laker and Clipper Sean Rooks dies hours after interviewing for a job with the Knicks". LA Times. Retrieved June 8, 2016.