Being an NBA executive is a dream job for many fans of the game, and for good reason. But it is not always sunshine and rainbows, with some very tough responsibilities sometimes coming with the gig. Such was the case for Hall of Fame Boston Celtics head coach and exec Red Auerbach when he had to be the public face of the storied ball club in one of its darkest moments when prized recruit Len Bias died of an overdose before he ever suited up for the Celtics.
Speaking to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Boston public relations wizard Jeff Twiss (a Celtics legend in his own right) recounted how the exercise of that terrible responsibility went when news broke of Bias’ death. “I remember shaking Lenny’s hand and I said, ‘It was a pleasure working with you today. We’ll have some fun times, man. See you later,” said Twiss of meeting the University of Maryland star. “And that was it. That was the one hour of my life I ever talked with Len Bias.”
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A day later, and Bias was dead of a cocaine-induced heart attack, and Auerbach and Twiss meeting in the former’s office to talk about what to do next. “I walked into his office, and he’s sitting there by himself smoking a cigar, and he goes, ‘Sit down,’” said Twiss.
We both sat there for almost a half-hour and didn’t say a word. Finally, he says, ‘I should probably put out a statement and be available, huh?’,” continued the Celtics PR expert. “I said, ‘Coach, they’ll all want to talk to you. You were instrumental in scouting and knowing Lenny. We might want to do something when you’re ready for it.’”
Auerbach would speak to the media about an hour later. “It was tough for him, but he was ironclad in that regard,” said Twiss. “He could somehow process it and keep the emotional part away and concentrate on what Lenny could have been, what he saw in his eyes. He was very even keel and matter of fact — ‘Here’s what I saw in the kid, here’s what he gave to us. But now we’ve lost him.’”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: When Celtics exec Red Auerbach had to talk to press about Len Bias