Ex-NBA player Rasual Butler, wife die in Los Angeles crash

By Associated Press 01 February 2018, 12:00AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife were killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles early Wednesday.

The Range Rover crashed around 2:30 a.m. in the Studio City area and left a swath of damage along a major thoroughfare.

Los Angeles police said in a statement that Butler was speeding before his vehicle jumped a curb, hit three parking meters and a concrete wall and then flipped over twice. The vehicle came to rest inside a shopping mall parking lot.

Butler, 38, and Leah LaBelle Vladowski, 31, were pronounced dead at the scene, said Ed Winter, assistant chief investigator with the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Autopsies were pending.

Butler was drafted in 2002 by the Miami Heat and played for a total of eight NBA teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.

His death sent shockwaves through the NBA.

"This is beyond a sad day for the Miami HEAT Family," team President Pat Riley said in a statement. "Rasual was one of the greatest people we have ever had play for us; a great player, teammate and better person."

Indiana Pacers President Kevin Pritchard expressed a similar sentiment.

"In his one season with us, Rasual was the consummate team player and a great role model for our younger players on how a professional should prepare and act, while being a positive influence on everyone who associated with him," he said.

The Clippers said Butler "will long be remembered not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for his vibrant personality, positive outlook and the compassion he had for everyone around him."

Butler last signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in late 2016 and was waived that October.

Butler's wife earned a measure of celebrity as an R&B singer. She placed 12th in the third Season of "American Idol" in 2004.

By Associated Press 01 February 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>