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LSU announces passing of former basketball star Wayne Sims, 54

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•04/12/23•

ChandlerVessels

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John Korduner / Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former LSU basketball star Wayne Sims passed away on Wednesday, the school announced. He was 54.

According to WBRZ 2 in Baton Rouge, Sims died from natural causes after collapsing at work on Wednesday morning. He is the father of former Tigers player Wayde Sims, who died in 2018 after being gunned down at a concert. Wayne and his wife Fay set up the Wayde Sims Foundation, which since Wayde’s death has raised considerable money for projects in the Baton Rouge area.

A former teammate of future NBA players Shaquille O’Neal and Mahmoud Abul-Rauf, Wayne Sims played under coach Dale Brown for LSU from 1987-91. He averaged 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds across his four-year career in Baton Rouge. His best season came as a sophomore when he averaged 13.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest.

“Wayne was always yes sir, no sir,” Brown said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”

Sims helped lead the Tigers to NCAA Tournament appearances in all four of his seasons in Baton Rouge, making him one of only nine athletes in school history to play in four NCAA events. He also led the team to an SEC title during his senior year in 1991.

Sims hailed from Deridder, Louisiana and came to LSU after attending Deridder High School. He was a two-time All-State selection at Deridder, averaging 21.9 points and nine rebounds as a senior. He was ranked No. 24 among the nation’s Top 100 seniors by Cage Scope in 1986.