Friend Says He Used Cocaine With Reggie Lewis

A friend of the late Reggie Lewis told the Wall Street Journal that he had used cocaine with the former Boston star in a Maryland hotel before a Celtic game, the paper reported Monday. The paper had earlier reported that Lewis’ sudden death in 1993 might have been drug related.

Derrick Lewis, who played high school and college ball with Reggie Lewis and is no relation, said the Celtic star was “with me, an experimental user of cocaine like a lot of people, from executives to college students, who try it once in a while. Reggie was addicted to basketball, not drugs.”

Derrick Lewis said he and Reggie Lewis had used cocaine five days before Reggie collapsed in a playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets on April 29, 1993. Reggie died in August of 1993 after collapsing while shooting baskets.

Suggestions of drug use arose publicly almost two weeks ago in a Journal report exploring Lewis’ sudden death. The paper said Lewis had refused to take a drug test, and questioned whether concerns about finances and bad publicity might have prompted the Celtics to ignore drugs as a possible explanation. The two did a lot of “heavy partying, mostly with marijuana,” Derrick Lewis recalled of his days at Northeastern University with Reggie Lewis. There was a lot of partying on the team.”

The Celtics declined comment, saying they plan to go ahead with a ceremony to retire Lewis’ jersey Wednesday at the Boston Garden.

Lewis’ wife also declined comment.

Auto Racing

Mark Smith, who twice qualified for the Indianapolis 500, was the driver in a highway crash in suburban Washington, D.C., that killed his brother and another man last weekend.

A luxury car driven by Smith, 27, of Washington ran off the road, slid down an embankment and struck a utility pole Saturday afternoon, police said.

Smith’s brother Michael, 29, of Dundee, Ore., died Monday at a Fairfax, Va., hospital. Another passenger, Rhory Draeger, 37, of Clackamas, Ore., died Saturday.

Police said Mark Smith was allegedly speeding and charges are pending against him.

Mark Smith, who retired from racing after last season, finished eighth in the Indy car standings in 1993 and 17th in 1994.