Remembering Ricky Berry

but this was the absolute lowest. I can still remember the day clearly. After some pretty grim years from the initial fervor of the team arriving in Sac and the modest success they had right off the bat, the team finally seemed to be heading again on the right direction. Ricky had in incredible game that I still find difficult to draw comparisons but when I see Paul Pierce play there are similarities. Ricky was probably an even better shooter. His range and scoring ability were off the charts. From all indications he seemed to be a sweet kid too. Me and my high school budies were convinced that Ricky would be the foundation to bring the Kings back to respectability but of course that never happened and it would cast the franchise into the NBA purgatory for several years to come. To this day it still hurts to here his name and think what could have been and what we all missed from Ricky as a King and as a person.

I clearly remember the day my old man’s phone rang with the news about Ricky Berry. At the time my pops was working for the Kings and I’ve never seen him dart down to ARCO a fast as he did that day….I’m only 26 years old right now, which places me @ 6 years old at the time of this tragedy…Although I’m sure at such a young age I knew that "suicide"meant that a man had killed himself, I certaintly didnt have the slightest idea of all the complex issues that cloud over such an act….One thing is for certain; I think I speak for my generation of Kings fans when I say that the Ricky Barry sucide was clearly the first in a line of agonizing and suffering “defeats” that come along with being a fan of the Sacramento Kings…Only thing is…His loss seemed much different than the usual beatings that took place on Channel 31 during that era-

As a Kings fan back then, I just remember total shock when I heard about it on the radio. I’d been married for two years and was a plumber back at the time. So I drove around in my truck listening to all the sports talk and catching most of the games on the radio as well. Although he had played for a year, there was still a feeling about Berry that was exciting and rookie-like. He was going to be the player who pulled us into legitimacy. He was always positive and interviewed well. I think the feeling would be a lot like how we would feel if something like that happened to Evans.

I remember as the days passed that I kept waiting to hear some extenuating circumstances. This happy, young, successful kid could not have shot himself. It had to be murder or drugs. It was a deep loss to the team and the fans. I specially felt bad for his wife, because most of the blame ended up being pointed in her direction even though she was just a kid too and trying to get used to a lot of new circumstances. Every time I hear about a suicide that totally comes out of the blue, I think about Berry.

Ricky’s death was really the first time that the sports fantasy that was Sacramento Kings basketball and the harsh reality that is life intersected. A lot of the innocence that went along with being a Kings fan back then was lost that day. Much more tragically, the life of a seemingly nice person ended.

RIP, Ricky.

But Ricky Berry’s suicide is perfect proof of what happens when it’s in a town with limited media coverage before ESPN had really hit home. Even though Len Bias is often connected with a truly tragic death (if you don’t want to factor in Reggie Lewis’ collapsing on the court—both tragic events to be sure), there is still a looming unknown about Berry and what he meant.

It’s almost funny because most fans aren’t even aware of Berry’s suicide and what it meant to Kings fans at the time (and to what it means when you learn about it the first time).

I was 16 years old when Ricky Berry committed suicide. It made no sense to me. It was so confusing, it boggled my mind beyond belief. My adolescent mind could NOT process the event. As a HUGE Kings fan, it was probably one of the first traumatic events of my life. As a shooter, Ricky Berry was AMAZING. Imagine Francisco Garcia with a MUCH better 3 point stroke. And Francisco is no slouch. Ricky Berry played with an effortlessness on the court, had a grace and fluidity to his game, and was a budding star.

Ricky Berry’s father was a coach, and they seemed to have an icy relationship. I really think suicide is an impulsive act, and if a gun was not in the home, Ricky would still be with us today. I wish more details would have come out about Ricky’s mental state so as to make sense of it all. He threw away a promising future, and left a trail of grief and sadness.

I remember meeting Ricky Berry at a YMCA sports camp when I was a kid. Had his autograph on a napkin. Didn’t really follow basketball until I met him at the camp. Then I became a Kings fan.

I wasn’t in Sacramento at the time and I didn’t follow basketball back then. But I’ve certainly heard the story, and about how there was no warning at all. That always struck me as completely baffling. But the following quote from Joe Davidson’s article really got my attention:

Bill Berry was not easy to play for. He was fired at San Jose State during Berry’s rookie season. Ten players walked out on the team, telling administrators Berry was “mentally cruel.”

Ten players walked out on the team, but Ricky grew up with that. I’m not trying to place sole blame on the father. But anyone who has seen the effects of harsh or cruel parenting up close knows that it has a profound effect on a person’s life, and it is not something that just suddenly leaves you when you become an adult. And in Ricky’s case, he also seemed to have learned that you never show your inner turmoil to the world, which is why his death came as such a shock. We’ll never know the circumstances of Ricky’s early life, and we will also probably never know what drove Ricky’s father to be the kind of individual that an entire team would call “mentally cruel”. No doubt Bill Berry did what he thought was right, and he probaby had his own share of demons for reasons that may seem quite justifiable were they know to us. But to me, the above quote speaks volumes about what was behind the tragic loss of Ricky Berry.

So much potential . . . I’m glad he’s being remembered today. carpe diem

I haven’t thought of that name and horrible incident in years. Harold Pressley said it best – “I still can’t understand why he’s not here.”

Written by none other than Marty McNeal, this story does a great job of searching for answers around the one year anniversary of Berry’s death. Kudos Marty- I don’t ever remember reading something of this quality from you when you were with the Bee.

Link

I was eight years old when it happened. I used to collect nothing but baseball cards,nothing else, but I had a Ricky Berry rookie card. This town was a buzz over this kid & I could feel it even as a kid. When he died I just remember staring at that card & being so confused. I’m still confused but also more understanding to the trials & tribulations of life. Rest in peace Ricky, rest in peace

I was 20yrs old when this happened, had just finished my summer job as a camp counselor when I heard the news. Unbelievable…shocking. I had followed the Kings since their start in 1985, and he was, bar none, our most exciting player. A phenomenal long range stroke but big enough to drive and finish in traffic—he wasn’t quite as strong as a Paul Pierce, but was in that league in terms of skill level. Ironically, I always thought Reggie Lewis had a similar game.

As others have mentioned, the stigma of mental illness and suicide really kept this a regional story. It was big news here, of course, and in San Jose, but didn’t have much traction beyond that. Of course, our current, never ending internet-fueled news cycle is very different now than it was then.

One other piece I remember then (and in years to follow) was trying to describe Ricky Berry’s game to casual fans outside of NorCal—it has come up many times in the context of our 1989 draft pick of (Never Nervous) Pervis Ellison. As I remember, the Sac Bee profiled the sure-fire top 5 picks of that draft—Ellison, Danny Ferry, Stacy King, Sean Elliot, and J.R. Reid. Some folks argued for Glen Rice, but really, that was about it. For 20 years people have blistered the Kings for that pick—but really, the consensus at the time really narrowed it down to these 5-6 guys. What people forget is—with Ricky Berry on the team, there was no need to draft Elliot or Rice; Berry was considered their equal (if not better), and played the same position.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this conversation over the years—

(them)“Wow, the Kings really blew it the year they picked Pervis”
(me)“Really? Do you remember the top 5 that year? Who would you have taken?”
(them)(…long pause) “well…Sean Elliot turned out pretty good.”
(me) “Remember a guy named Ricky Berry?”