Former NBA All-Star guard and Garland native Daron "Mookie" Blaylock's condition has been upgraded from serious to guarded after a Friday afternoon accident with a van in suburban Atlanta that killed the van's passenger and injured its driver.
Blaylock was driving his SUV in Jonesboro when it crossed the center line and crashed head-on with the van. The van's passenger, 43-year-old Monica Murphy, died just before 9 pm Eastern time Friday night. Her husband, 41-year-old Frankie Murphy, the driver of the van, suffered a broken ankle. He was treated and later released.
Blaylock was listed in critical condition on Friday, and police said the 46-year-old had been placed on life support for a short time. Police are investigating whether Blaylock's history of seizures may have been a contributing factor in the accident.
Blaylock, a 1985 graduate of Garland High School, starred at Oklahoma University and was a first-round pick of the NBA New Jersey Nets in 1989. He played for the Atlanta Hawks between 1992 and 1999, appearing in the the 1994 NBA All-Star game and had his best season in 1996-97, averaging 17.7 points and 5.9 assists.
In 13 NBA seasons with New Jersey, Atlanta and Golden State, he averaged 13.5 points and 6.2 assists.