Don Sellers, former Linden McKinley High School basketball player, NBA scout, dies at 62
Don Sellers, a Columbus resident and former Linden McKinley High School basketball player who helped lead the Panthers to a state title in 1977, died May 15 at age 62.
Sellers was a former NBA scout and evaluator for the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers, while also having coached for professional teams in the Chinese Basketball Association and Lebanese Basketball Association and the Hong Kong National team.
He was also the former director of player development and coach for the Harlem Globetrotters and was on the coaching staff of minor league championship teams in Rochester, New York and Yakima, Washington.
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Sellers played for Linden McKinley's 1977 state title team and its 1976 state semifinal team along with Ohio Player of the Year Todd Penn, who went on to play at Ohio State from 1977-81.
“He was a great teammate, great person and a great friend," friend, high school teammate and boxer James "Buster" Douglas said in a statement. "My condolences to his family and other loved ones.”
in 2019, Sellers was inducted into the Greater Columbus Basketball Legends Association Hall of Fame.
Sellers also worked camps for International Sporting Group, coming to Reynoldsburg with former Northland player and NBA player Trey Burke in July 2015.
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“If you work with 100 kids, and 10 get it immediately and a handful more get it later, you’ve done your job,” Sellers said then. “It’s important to get across to the kids what it took for Trey to get where he is in terms of basketball skills and life skills, and that it’s possible by doing the right things.”
Sellers is survived by his mother, Mary Louise Sellers, his wife Sharon, along with multiple daughters and sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Linden McKinley High School will hold a celebration in honor of Sellers from 6-8 p.m. Friday. Sellers' viewing will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mt. Hermon Baptist Church at 2283 Sunbury Rd. in Columbus.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Don Sellers, former Linden McKinley basketball player, dies at 62
