Marvin Stone (basketball)

Marvin Stone Jr. (June 2, 1981 – April 1, 2008) was an American professional basketball player.

Stone was a native of Huntsville, Alabama. While attending Virgil I. Grissom High School he led Grissom to the school's second-ever 6A State Title in 1999. The 6'10" center/power forward was regarded as one of the top recruits in the country, as a Parade All American & McDonald's All-American. He was the most decorated Athlete that Grissom High School has ever seen. He was selected for the 1999 McDonald's All-American game,[1] and signed for Kentucky. However, his career at Kentucky was largely disappointing. In two-and-a-half seasons at Kentucky, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds[2] before transferring to intrastate rivals Louisville during the 2001–02 season. In one season at Louisville, he averaged 10.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocked shots.[2]

Stone was undrafted in the 2003 NBA draft, and later played professionally in Europe for a number of teams, including Ciudad de Huelva (Spain), Air Avellino (Italy) and Paris Basket Racing (France).[3] In 2005, Stone failed medical tests of the German clubs ALBA Berlin and EWE Baskets Oldenburg due to "conspicuous cardiological results"[4] and hypertension which were associated with his generally bad physical fitness, although it could not be determined if that was its cause or its effect.[5]

Stone died of a heart attack on April 1, 2008, while playing for Saudi Arabian team Ittihad. He collapsed at halftime during a playoff game. He had signed with the team only days before.[1]