- Minor was drafted into the NBA by the 76ers, but was cut in the preseason
- He switched to baseball, where he played for two teams for four seasons
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A video of former MLB player Ryan Minor playing basketball at the University of Oklahoma has emerged following his untimely death at age 49.
Minor is best known for his time with the Baltimore Orioles – and when he replaced Cal Ripken Jr., ending his streak of consecutive games.
In addition to his expertise on the diamond, he was also a phenomenal basketball player for the Oklahoma Sooners.
After his death was announced, highlights from the first game of Minor's senior year in the 1995-96 season came to light.
In that game against Jackson State, Minor scored 18 points and five assists, leading the Sooners to a 99-68 win.
After his death at age 49, a video surfaced of Ryan Minor playing basketball in Oklahoma
After being drafted into the NBA, Minor was cut out and pursued a career as a baseball player
Minor led the team in scoring this season with 21.3 points per game while OU went 17-13 under coach Kelvin Sampson (who now leads Houston).
Oklahoma earned a 10th-seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, where it fell 61-43 in the first round to seventh-seeded Temple.
Minor's talents were noticed and he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 32nd overall pick.
After seven preseason games, Minor was released by the Sixers and played 32 games for the Oklahoma City Cavalry in the Continental Basketball Association.
Minor left the team in January 1997 when he received an invitation to spring training from the Orioles, who selected him in the 33rd round of the 1996 MLB Draft.
He spent two seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut on September 13, 1998.
Just seven days later, Minor became the first player to start ahead of Cal Ripken Jr., ending his streak of 2,632 consecutive games.
Minor played nine games for Baltimore that season and returned to the Orioles the following season.
Minor replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his consecutive record streak in 1998
Throughout his major league career, Minor played 142 games and had a career batting average of .177.
His longest stint was 55 games with the Montreal Expos in 2001, where he recorded 15 hits in 107 plate appearances, including two doubles and two home runs, as well as 13 RBI for a .158 batting average.
In October 2022, Minor was diagnosed with colon cancer. He entered hospice care in November 2023 before passing away on December 22nd.
Before his death, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame named Minor an inductee of its 2024 class.