DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Rodney Rogers, a Wake Forest basketball legend and Durham native, died Thursday at the age of 54.
Rogers died of natural causes linked to his spinal cord injury, according to a statement from the National Basketball Players Association on behalf of Rogers’ family.
“The last 17 years have been both challenging and profoundly blessed,” the NBPA statement said. “Through every moment, Rodney remained a light – positive, motivated, and full of the quiet strength that inspired everyone around him.”
Known as “the Durham Bull” during his high school years at Hillside, Rogers made a lasting impact on Wake Forest basketball. He earned ACC Freshman of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, and First Team All-American honors during his college career.
Rogers played three years at Wake Forest, averaging 21.2 points in the 1992-93 season that saw Wake Forest reach the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, before entering the NBA draft as a junior.
He remains one of only seven players in ACC history, and the sole Demon Deacon, to achieve both Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year honors.
The burly 6-foot-7 forward with powerful athleticism was drafted ninth overall by the Denver Nuggets in 1993 and enjoyed a 12-year NBA career, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award and scoring nearly 9,500 points in the NBA before retiring in 2005.
Rodney Rogers headshot, as New Jersey Nets forward, photo
AP
In 2008, a life-altering accident left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Following this, he established the Rodney Rogers Foundation to support others living with spinal cord injuries. His contributions were recognized in 2022 when he received Wake Forest University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, one of the university’s highest honors.
“Rodney is the strongest person I have ever met – physically and mentally – and his resilience was evident in the fight he showed every single day,” program great and former teammate Randolph Childress said in a statement released by the school. “I’ve said this before, and I still mean it today: he was the best athlete ever to walk onto Wake Forest’s campus. He meant so much to so many people, and I feel profoundly blessed to have been with him yesterday.”
Rogers’ No. 54 jersey is displayed in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, symbolizing his enduring legacy.
He started his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and went on to play with the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers.
“It’s easy to focus on his extraordinary talent, but what stood out to everyone who knew him was that he was every bit as remarkable as a human being,” said Dave Odom, Rogers’ coach at Wake Forest. “He loved his teammates, he loved his family, he loved Wake Forest, and he loved the game of basketball. He loved playing for Wake Forest.
“Every time we visited him, I walked away reminding myself never to complain – because he never did. He faced life exactly as it came and made the very best of every moment,” Odom said. “He was a joy to watch as a basketball player, but he was an even greater man. He shared his strength, his spirit, and his life with everyone around him.”
According to the NBPA statement, Rogers is survived by his wife, Faye; daughters Roddreka and Rydiah, who played basketball at NC State University from 2015-19; sons Rodney II and Devonte; his mother, Estelle Spencer; and Eric Hipilito, embraced as a son by Rogers.
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The Associated Press contributed.
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