Jerrod Mustaf, a center who played for Festina Andorra and FC Barcelona in the ACB League, has died at the age of 55.
The Whiteville, North Carolina native, who was selected 17th overall in the 1990 Draft after a brilliant collegiate career at Maryland, only played four seasons in the NBA despite his great potential.
In his four years in the NBA, split between the New York Knicks (1990 to 1991) and the Phoenix Suns (1991 to 1994), he averaged 4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 179 games.
Jerrod Mustaf was ‘unfairly’ linked to the murder of a young woman who might be pregnant by him
Mustaf’s NBA career was cut short when he was investigated for the murder of young Althea Hayes, who was pregnant with a child she believed to be his and whom he may have pressured to have an abortion.
Mustaf was never formally charged in the case and his cousin (Lavonnie Woten) was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutor K.C. Scull lamented not being able to bring Jerrod Mustaf to trial for allegedly arranging the murder of Althea Hayes. “One of my biggest regrets is not having allowed myself to try this case,” he told Sports Illustrated.
For his part, Mustaf has always maintained that he was “unjustly” linked to the murder of Althea Hayes and that he was “kicked out” of the NBA.
After this incident, Mustaf, who did not return to the NBA despite trying out with the Seattle Supersonics and Charlotte Hornets, was forced to emigrate to European basketball.
Jerrod Mustaf’s statistics in Spain
Jerrod Mustaf arrived in Spain after playing for PAOK Thessaloniki to sign for Festina Andorra in 1995, and in 1996 he signed for Barcelona to play two seasons at the Palau.
He played in Spain, Poland, France and Greece and, after retiring, founded the Street Basketball Association and ran the Lake Charge (a program founded by his father to help keep teenagers in the Washington D.C. area out of the criminal justice system).
