National Basketball Association

Ex-NBA player Meriweather dead at 59

Published Oct. 14, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Former NBA player Joe C. Meriweather, who later coached women's basketball at Park University in Missouri, has died in Columbus, Ga. He was 59.

Park athletic department spokesman Steve Wilson says Meriweather, of Phenix City, Ala., died unexpectedly Sunday, and cause of death was unknown.

Wilson said Meriweather is the most successful women's basketball coach in Park University history. He led the team to its only NAIA national championship tournament in the 2005-06 season.

The 10-year NBA veteran played for the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the New Orleans Jazz, the New York Knicks and the Kansas City Kings. He also had played in Italy and Spain.

The 6-foot-10 Meriweather was the 11th pick in the 1975 NBA draft out of Southern Illinois and is in its hall of fame.