What was Pete Maravich doing when he died in 1988?

Pete Maravich was playing basketball when he died in 1988. He collapsed during a pickup basketball game on January 5, 1988, at a church gym in Pasadena, California.

Maravich, widely known as “Pistol Pete,” had retired from professional basketball in 1980 after a ten-year NBA career affected by injuries. Even after retirement, he continued playing recreationally and participating in basketball-related activities. He was 40 years old when he died from heart failure caused by an undetected heart defect.

His death is often remembered because it happened while he was doing the sport that defined his life, though he was not playing in an official NBA game. The pickup game included evangelical author James Dobson and took place at the First Church of the Nazarene.

Maravich had been one of college basketball’s most spectacular scorers at LSU and later became a five-time NBA All-Star. He remains the NCAA Division I men’s all-time leading scorer by total points, despite playing before the three-point line and modern shot clock rules.