Basketball Coach Weakley Dies After Placing 911 Call

A 62-year-old South Los Angeles man who was an icon in the local basketball community was found unconscious in his home and subsequently died Thursday night after he had called 911 to report being confronted by four gunmen. Police officers and paramedics found an unresponsive Joe Weakley shortly after 11 p.m., when they took him to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Weakly, who was well-known in the community for his devoted work as a basketball coach and as an organizer of various basketball youth leagues, made the 911 call from his West Century Boulevard home about 11 p.m.

The coroner’s office will examine Weakley’s body to determine the cause of death. For 18 years, Weakley worked as an assistant coach at Crenshaw High School under Coach Willie West and helped lead the team to 13 city section major division titles. Some of the Crenshaw basketball players he coached include Marques Johnson, future major league baseball player Darryl Strawberry and John Williams.

In 1991, he became a coach at Los Angeles Southwest College.

Weakley was also the executive director of “Run, Shoot and Dunk,” an adult league and SPEAK, a summer day camp for inner-city children.

Police ask anyone with information on Weakley’s death to contact Det. Ray Morales or Det. Bruce Hosea of the LAPD South Bureau homicide detail at (213) 847-1310.