Former Pepperdine basketball forward Anthony Frederick, who completed his NBA career in 1992 with the Charlotte Hornets, died of an apparent heart attack last Thursday while driving with his wife in the San Fernando Valley.
Frederick, 38, was transported to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Woodland Hills, where he was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. Thursday, according to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Vince Neglia.
Police said Frederick lost consciousness about 5:30 p.m., as he and his wife were driving on Ventura Boulevard near Shoup Avenue. Frederick’s wife, Jocelyn, who was in the passenger seat, tried to stop the car, but was unsuccessful.
Frederick played a total of 147 games with three NBA teams-the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Charlotte Hornets-where he completed his NBA career in 1992.
Over the course of his NBA career, the 6-foot-8-inch forward averaged 4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists a contest.
A 1982 graduate of Gardena High, Frederick played at nearby Santa Monica City College before transferring to Pepperdine in the fall of 1984. During his two seasons in Malibu, the Waves compiled a cumulative record of 48-14 (.774).
Frederick earned first team All-WCC honors as a junior during the 1984-85 campaign when he averaged 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. An outstanding defensive player due to his agility and quickness, Frederick established a long-standing single-season record of 82 blocked shots. As a senior during the 1985-86 campaign, Frederick contributed 9.4 points and 6.9 rebounds a contest while shooting 54.7 percent from the field. He was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 1986 NBA Draft.
In addition to his NBA career, Frederick also played overseas.