NEW YORK CITY — Former New York Knicks point guard Dean "The Dream" Meminger was found dead in a Harlem hotel room about noon on Friday, cops said.
Staff at the Hamilton Heights Hotel called police after finding the 65-year-old retired basketball player unconscious and unresponsive in his room, authorities said.
"It's sad. It's tragic," said the hotel manager, who asked that her name not be used. "He was on the last team that won the championship."
Meminger was a player on the 1973 NBA championship team.
She said she discovered his body in his room when Meminger, who checked in about 6 p.m. the night before with a single rolling suitcase, did not come down to the front desk for check out.
He was lying face up on the bed on top of the sheets fully clothed, she said.
"I touched him and his skin was cold," the manager said. "He was foaming at the mouth."
Medics who arrived on the scene could not revive him, police said.
The manager said that Meminger, who lived less than 10 blocks away on W. 139th Street, stays there twice a month. She described him as "friendly" and "personable."
His family thanked people for their prayers and condolences in a statement sent out by NY1, where his son, also named Dean Meminger, works as a reporter.
"Dean "The Dream" Meminger touched the hearts of so many on and off the basketball court," the statement said. "Through basketball and education, he helped countless people around the country receive scholarships, high school and college admissions, and even employment."
Dean "The Dream" will be truly missed by his family, friends and fans."
Police said that there were no signs of trauma. The city medical examiner has yet to determine cause of death.
