Ladner died at the age of 26 in a June 24 , 1975 , crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 . He was identified by medical examiners because he was wearing his ABA championship ring . For many years , the Nets listed his name and number in their list of retired numbers , though Ladner 's no. 4 did not hang in the rafters with the other retired numbers . His number was also given to Rick Mahorn during his tenure with the Nets . In October 2013 , a '' New York Daily News '' article explained that the number was never formally retired . However , out of respect to Ladner , Nets trainer Fritz Massmann had not issued No. 4 to other players for 17 years after Ladner 's death
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66
Wendell Ladner