Justin Hughes wasn't born with the athletic talents his older brother Larry had. While Larry excelled at every level of basketball at which he played, Justin was born with a bad heart, which made his life touch and go from the start. Still, even though he was seven years younger than his big brother, who would go on to star in the NBA, Justin made his mark.
"A final thanks to my little brother," Larry Hughes said on the day in 1998 when he announced he was leaving St. Louis University to enter the NBA, "who gave me the lessons in courage ... and gave me pretty much a grasp on life."
Justin Hughes lost his lifelong battle with heart problems Thursday and died of heart failure. Justin, who lived in Maryland Heights, was 20.
Whether it was because of his brother's health problems, the absence of a father in their home or the age difference, Larry and Justin had a bond that went deeper than that of many brothers.
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"My little brother is always going to be in my head, no matter what," Larry Hughes told the Post-Dispatch in March 1998. "I pretty much see him every day. Maybe not physically. But I think about (him and my mother) every day."
Now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Larry left his team Thursday in the midst of its second-round playoff series with Detroit to be with his family. It is not known when he will rejoin the team, which plays again Saturday and Monday.
Visitation for Justin Hughes will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Austin A. Layne Mortuary Inc.'s Renaissance Chapel, 7302 West Florissant Avenue, with the funeral at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
"Life sometimes helps put the proper perspective on basketball," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said, "and this is one of those occasions. Now is a time for Larry to be with his family as they deal with the loss of Justin. The timetable for Larry's return to the Cavaliers has not been determined."
Justin was born with a heart defect and underwent a transplant at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in January 1997. His body started to reject the donated heart about a year ago, said his transplant coordinator, Laurie Ferrer.
Justin was hospitalized briefly in December and was in the process of being added to the transplant list when he died, Ferrer said.
Along with the inspiration he provided, Justin's health struggles helped shape his brother's basketball career. Larry was recruited by schools such as Syracuse and Michigan when he was at CBC, but his desire to stay close to home and be near his brother prompted him to play at SLU. And financial demands brought on by his brother's medical expenses led Larry to leave SLU after one season to go to the NBA.
Larry hughes missed saturdays game against the detroit pistons and will probally miss mondays. R.I.P. to justin Hughes. I remember a while back lookin through a sports illistrated magazine(6 or 7 yrs ago). There was an article about larry hughes and his little brother and how his little brother was an inspiration to him. I remember seeing photos of him holding his little brother. They were really close. What a heartbreaker. Once again R.I.P.
