Ex-NBA Player Says Daughter Killed In Connecticut Dirt Bike Crash: Report

GROTON, CT — A 24-year-old woman who died when the dirt bike she was riding collided with a car in Groton on Monday was the daughter of former NBA player Tyson Wheeler, according to a report.

The crash happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Long Hill Road when a group of ATVs and dirt bikes, some driving without lights on, ran a red light. Tiana Wheeler was a passenger on one of the bikes, which struck the side of an Audi as its driver attempted to make a left-hand turn into the Groton Shopping Center, police said.

Wheeler was thrown from the bike and struck the Audi, police said. The driver of the dirt bike — 25-year-old Scott Whipple of Mashantucket — was also thrown from the bike and suffered critical injuries, police said.

In a statement released after the crash, Groton Police Chief Louis Fusaro criticized the other riders for removing the dirt bike from the road without rendering aid to Wheeler or Whipple.

"What is most troubling is that someone who may have been traveling with them stopped for this crash, and rather than rendering aid to the critically injured parties, removed the dirt bike from the road," Fusaro said. "In addition to the wanton disregard for human life, the actions of removing the involved dirt bike from the scene has tampered with and impeded this investigation."

In an interview with CTInsider, Tyson Wheeler called his daughter a "real go-getter."

“She was so bright. So articulate," he told the publication. "So wonderful. So smart.”

Wheeler also told CTInsider his daughter graduated from Fairfield University and worked at an orthodontist’s office since 2017. She was planning to work for Pfizer this winter, he said.

Tyson Wheeler was a second-round pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. He played four years with the University of Rhode Island, where he led the Rams to the Elite Eight in the 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Currently, Tyson Wheeler is an assistant coach at Brown University.