Horrible news. Roundfield didn't play for them a long time, but he was one of my favorite Pacers in the 70s. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8243982/former-atlanta-hawks-star-dan-roundfield-drowns-aruba Dan Roundfield drowns in Aruba Updated: August 7, 2012, 3:00 PM ET Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Former NBA All-Star Dan Roundfield has drowned off the Caribbean island of Aruba, police and a member of the athlete's family said Tuesday. Roundfield and his wife were swimming off the southern tip of the island on Monday when they went beyond a protected reef area and got caught in rough water, said John Larmonie, a police spokesman for the police on the southern Caribbean island. Roundfield, 59, managed to get his wife to some rocks where she was able to scramble to safety but he was then swept away in the current, Larmonie said. Search teams found his body about 90 minutes later trapped by rocks underwater. "It's a real tragedy," he said. "He drowned saving his wife." Julia Roundfield, a sister-in-law of the athlete, who lives in Detroit, said the family was still trying to get details of the incident. "He was a real sweet guy," Julia Roundfield said. "He really was a sweetheart." The player's wife, Bernie, was treated for shock after the incident. A 6-foot-8 forward-center out of Detroit, Roundfield played for Central Michigan in college and started his pro career with Indiana, which was then in the ABA. He played in the NBA for 11 seasons -- besides the Pacers, he also had stints with Atlanta, Detroit and Washington and averaged 15.2 points per game for his NBA career. Roundfield was selected as an All-Star in 1980, 1981 and 1982, when he was playing for the Hawks. The drowning occurred near a popular snorkeling spot known as "Baby Beach," at the southeastern tip of the Dutch Caribbean island. The area just off the beach is generally considered safe but the water can become treacherous out beyond the reef in rough weather. "It was a really bad day to go outside the reef," Larmonie said. Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
Back in the early days of cable when the only regular hoops on TV was the Hawks on TBS, Roundfield became one of my favorite players. RIP.
RIP. Too many people underestimate the power of the ocean, horrible situation, especially for the wife.
I grew up in Atlanta. Roundfield and John Drew were my favorites back then. Maravich had left the team by the time I started paying attention to basketball. RIP Dan Roundfield.
