Don Leventhal

[RAMANI_R@bentley.edu]

CAMDEN, N.J. (Oct 9, 1997 - 23:40 EDT) -- A body pulled from the Delaware River
was
positively identified Thursday as that of an NBA draft analyst who had been
missing since last
month, police said.

Don Leventhal, 44, of Willow Grove, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, was identified
through dental
records, said Lt. Joseph Richardson, a spokesman for the Camden police
department.

His body was found Wednesday in the river in South Camden by a dock worker.

A day after Leventhal was reported missing on Sept. 29, his car was found
abandoned on the
campus of Rutgers University in Camden. His wallet was found that day on a
pedestrian walkway of
the Ben Franklin Bridge, which spans the river.

"It appears to be a suicide," Richardson said.

Friends said Leventhal had complained about pain in his neck caused by a
bulging disc. They also
said Leventhal was having problems with the Internal Revenue Service.

Leventhal was well-known in basketball circles. His work included the NBA Draft
Report, a ranking
available to subscribers, a draft evaluation for ESPN SportsZone, an online
service, and an NBA
injury report for USA Today.

>Found this on the sportserver. I have used his list from ESPN and I bet many
of know his work.

It is extremely sad that this has happened. 

Ritesh Ramani
ramani_rite@bentley.edu