A 6'11" center, Turpin attended the University of Kentucky for four seasons before being drafted as the sixth overall pick in the first round by the Washington Bullets in the 1984 NBA Draft, and immediately traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Mel Turpin, an All-American center dubbed "The Big Dipper" who led Kentucky to the Southeastern Conference championship in 1984 and played in the NBA, committed suicide Thursday, authorities said. He was 49. Police and the coroner were called to his North Lexington house on a personal injury call and said they found Turpin dead. Coroner Gary Ginn said Turpin took his life, but would not say how. He also would not say whether Turpin left behind a suicide note. The 6-foot-11 Turpin was an All-American and All-Southeastern Conference player for the Wildcats from 1980-84.-
He was a dominant center in college, scoring 42 points against Tennessee as a junior by making 18 of 22 shots from the field. He similarly dominated LSU as a senior, shooting 15 of 17 from the floor and five of six from the foul line. As a professional, however, Turpin struggled with his weight, and after five seasons with the Cavaliers, Utah Jazz and the Bullets, he retired. Earning the derisive nicknames "Dinner Bell Mel" and "The Mealman", Turpin would be considered one of the biggest busts in a draft class that included future greats such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.As evidenced in post-retirement interviews, however, Turpin maintained a healthy sense of humor in regards to his disappointing career, telling Sports Illustrated: "In my day, they thought the big man was supposed to be thin. They didn't know too much. It was medieval - wikipedia
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