Orlando Woolridge, a rugged forward who carved out a reputation over 13 NBA seasons as a scoring specialist and one of the original alley-oop artists, died late Thursday at his parents’ home in Mansfield, La. He was 52.
DeSoto Parish Chief Deputy Coroner Billy Locke said Woolridge died while under hospice care for a chronic heart condition.
The 6-foot-9 Woolridge was the sixth overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1981 after starring at Notre Dame.
Known for his high-flying dunks and ability to throw down lob passes in the open court, Woolridge played for the Bulls, Nuggets (1990-91), Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, and also coached the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.
“He was a good person,” said Minnesota Timberwolves assistant T.R. Dunn, who played with Woolridge in Denver for one season, in which Woolridge averaged a career-best 25.1 points a game.
