Obit

Lorenzo Charles, Former NCAA Star, Dies in Bus Crash

Lorenzo Charles’s dunk helped N.C. State win 1983 title game.

The photograph of Lorenzo Charles’ slam dunk in the 1983 NCAA title game is one of the basketball tournament’s iconic moments—he helped N.C. State upset the heavily favored Houston Cougars. Charles, 47 years old, died on Monday when he lost control of a charter bus he was driving and crashed into trees. He was the only person on the vehicle, which he drove for a living: His jobs included driving the Duke Lacrosse team, whose coach sometimes called on him for a motivational speech. After college, Charles played one season in the NBA and then played internationally and in the Continental Basketball Association until 1999. He lived in Wake Forest with his wife, Theresa.