Veteran NBA forward-turned-musician Wayman Tisdale once described his personal jazz style as “a happy sound, a happy feeling” &ndash the same feeling
that peers and fans alike will undoubtedly forever associate with the former Sun.
The Tulsa, Okla., native lost his courageous battle with cancer early Friday at the age of 44. The born-again Christian leaves behind his wife Regina and four children, as well as an enduring legacy as a tenacious spirit both on and off the court.
Originally signing as a free agent out of Sacramento, he played for the Suns from 1994-97, calling his arrival in Phoenix a godsend.
“It was like I had finally gotten out of purgatory&hellip,” Tisdale told Suns.com in 2004. “Once I got to Phoenix, that’s where I really felt like I was born in the NBA. It was great to finally be respected as a basketball player. I probably wasn’t putting up the same numbers, but that didn’t matter. People knew what I could do. I had to fit into a role, and I feel I played that role once I came to the Suns. I really enjoyed it and the things that went on there.”
Averaging 15.3 ppg, and 6.1 rpg in 12 NBA seasons that also included stops in Indiana and Sacramento, the second overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft entered the league after a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma. As a Sooner, the three-time All-American averaged 25.6 ppg, breaking the career points record of then-future Suns Ring of Honor great Alvan Adams’ 23.7 ppg set 10 years earlier.
Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo adds, “Wayman was a no-nonsense guy who had a great smile, temperament and disposition. He had a great college career and came into the NBA. He played on some poor teams and came to Arizona and had enjoyed his time with the Suns. He was a great teammate and a great contributor.
“You never had to worry about Wayman Tisdale. He was a gentleman and he represented himself the way you’d want all your players to represent a franchise. And he was a multi-talented guy. To have that second career in music, and an outstanding one, it’s a sad day to have a young person taken away like that.”

Leaving the NBA in 1997 to concentrate on a full-time music career, Tisdale released eight albums over the next 12 years.