Maurice Stokes (June 17, 1933 – April 6, 1970) was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s for the Cincinnati/Rochester Royals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) until his career (and later his life) was cut short by a debilitating injury. Stokes was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Saint Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. There he led the Red Flash to the 1955 National Invitation Tournament and was named Most Valuable Player although his team finished fourth in the tournament.
Inducted into the Cambria County [Pennslyvania] Sports Hall of Fame in 1965 (inaugural class).
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In the last game of the regular season against the Minneapolis Lakers on 12 March 1958, Stokes drew contact as he drove to the basket and fell to the floor, hitting his head. He was unconscious for several minutes but was revived with smelling salts and returned to the game. Three days later, on the flight home after a first-round playoff game against the Detroit Pistons, he told a teammate, "I feel like I'm going to die." He later suffered a seizure, fell into a coma and was left permanently paralyzed. He was later diagnosed with "post-traumatic encephalopathy", a brain injury that damaged his motor control functions.
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Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
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Selected in the first round of the 1955 NBA draft (2nd pick overall) by the Rochester Royals.
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Made NBA debut on 5 November 1955.
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Played with the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals (1955-1958).
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Inducted into the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.
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