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Brian Shaw’s Unimaginably Tragic Summer Of 1993

From ESPN’s Arash Markazi comes this great (and very, very sad) piece on Lakers assistant, and possible next head coach, Brian Shaw.

On June 26th, 1993, Shaw’s father, Charles, his mother, Barbara, his sister, Monica, and his baby niece, Brianna, were involved in a car accident as they made a late-night drive from their hometown in Oakland to a home Shaw built for them in Las Vegas.

According to reports, the Nevada Highway Patrol would conclude that Charles, 52, fell asleep at the wheel at about 5:15 a.m. on Interstate 15, just 9 miles from Las Vegas. The car hit the center divider and rolled, ejecting Charles; Barbara, 51; Monica, 24; and Brianna. Barbara and Monica died at the scene of the accident. Charles died from his injuries about an hour later at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Brianna, who was riding in a child-restraint seat, survived, but was hospitalized with a ruptured spleen and facial lacerations.

Shaw, who says up until that point that he had never had to deal with someone close to him dying, now had to deal with the death of his entire immediate family at the age of 27. Since he was the only one left, he had to identify the bodies.

As if that wasn’t enough, Shaw lost his close friend, former Celtics teammate Reggie Lewis, that same summer.

Shaw is currently a Lakers assistant, and the lead candidate for their head coaching position. The LA Times’ Bill Plaschke doesn’t think he’ll be hired (“He’s too predictable. He’s too safe.”), but after reading Markazi’s piece, you’ll be pulling for him.