Former Boston Celtic big man Dwayne Schintzius passed away on Sunday from respiratory failure at the age of 43, Tampa Bay Online reported.
According to the report:
Schintzius had endured months of complications after receiving a second bone marrow transplant, his younger brother Travis said. An All-American at Brandon High School, Schintzius was twice divorced with no children. He is survived by his younger brother and his parents, Ken and Linda. Details on a memorial service are pending.
He was surrounded by family when he died at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Sunday at the Moffitt Cancer Center, where he was first admitted in 2009 after being diagnosed with Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML), an uncommon blood cancer that affects only three in 100,000 individuals in the U.S. each year.
He was declared cancer-free after receiving an initial successful bone marrow transplant from his younger brother on Jan. 12, 2010 and appeared to be free of medical issues until recent complications, which required another transplant.
Schintzius, a 7-2 center, played with the Celtics in the final season of NBA career. He averaged 0.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 16 games. Schintzius was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 24th pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and also played for the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Clippers.