Hank Gathers Dies During Game

Date: March 4, 1990 • Location: Washington, United States

American basketball player Hank Gathers dies after collapsing during the semifinals of a West Coast Conference tournament game.

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players each oppose one another on a rectangular court. Players compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball through a hoop at each end of the court. Teams alternate between offense, and defense. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the fouled team either takes one to three free throws worth one point each, or restarts play with an inbound pass. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. If regulation play expires with the score tied, most basketball leagues mandate additional periods of play (overtime) until the score is no longer tied.