Imagine waking up and getting a million phone calls and emails saying that the New York Post has just declared you dead, your body found buried in garbage and sand at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. That is precisely what happened to former NBA player Quinton Ross.
On Monday morning, the New York Post reported that Ross’s body was found in a garbage bag on the beach. The report went on to talk of foul play and alluded to murder, mentioning the Dallas native, who spent seven seasons in the NBA, specifically citing his basketball career, most likely as a selling point for their paper.
To say that this erroneous report made for a tough day would be an understatement. Ross woke to a barrage of calls from concerned friends and family.
Within hours, the paper had retracted the report, noting that it was a different man with the same name.
How did this happen? There is still no answer and the NYPD has refused to comment.
Ross went undrafted in 2003 after spending four years at Southern Methodist University. He caught on with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004 and would go on to average 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds during a career that also included stops with the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Wizards, and Nets.
Since his release by the Nets in 2011, the 32-year-old Ross has logged time in the D-League and in France. Along the way, he netted nearly $6 million in career NBA earnings … enough to pay off hit men and undertakers.
Just for the record, Quinton Ross isn’t dead. Neither is Quentin Richardson. Nor Quentin Tarantino.