Benjamin Vallentina Warley (September 4, 1936–April 5, 2002) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player.

A 6'5" forward/guard from Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...

, Warley played five seasons (1962–1967) in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 as a member of the Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...

, Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

, and Baltimore Bullets

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

. He averaged 8.4 points per game

Points per game

Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by number of games. The terminology is often used in...

 and 5.6 rebounds per game. Warley later played with several teams in the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

, representing the Anaheim Amigos

Anaheim Amigos

The Anaheim Amigos/Los Angeles Stars were an American Basketball Association team based in Southern California. They were the Amigos during their first season in Anaheim and later moved to Los Angeles to become the Stars...

 in the 1968 ABA All-Star Game

1968 ABA All-Star Game

GAME 1: at Indianapolis, Indiana, January 9, 1968MVP: Larry Brown, New Orleans BuccaneersCoaches:* East: Jim Pollard, Minnesota Muskies* West: Babe McCarthy, New Orleans Buccaneers-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods:...

.

Warley settled in Philadelphia after his playing career was over. He died of liver cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...

in 2002.