ABA star Marvin Barnes dead at 62

Marvin Barnes, who led Providence College to the Final Four in 1973 and starred in the old American Basketball Assn., has died, a newspaper reported Monday. He was 62.

Kevin Stacom, a college teammate and one of Barnes’ closest friends, told the Providence Journal that Barnes died at a home in Providence, R.I. The cause of death was not known, but Barnes had battled drug addiction for years.

Barnes was the second overall pick of the 1974 NBA draft, behind only UCLA’s Bill Walton. Barnes opted for the rival ABA and won rookie of the year in 1975 after averaging 24 points and 15.6 rebounds for the St. Louis Spirits.

Barnes went to the Detroit Pistons in 1976 before bouncing between the Buffalo Braves, Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers. His last season in the NBA was in 1980.