Tim Bankston, a respected basketball coach, mentor, and former standout player from Chicago, left a lasting impact both on and off the court.
The 60-year-old was found fatally shot inside a South Side Chicago home last Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Authorities say he suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. ABC 7 Chicago reports that relatives believe the shooting occurred before he was found in the home by a friend. The shooting likely occurred in the home before a friend found him there. Sean Wright, a former Simeon teammate further elaborated with the news outlet that the friend left out and came back and found that the door to the back was opened and saw his feet, and he immediately bent down and shook him to see if he was alright, and his body was cold.
Before becoming a coach, Bankston established himself as a skilled point guard at Simeon High School. During the 1983-84 season at one of Chicago’s premier basketball programs, the Wolverines won a state championship. He played alongside his close friend and teammate, Ben Wilson, who too lost his life to gun violence after a promising career. Bankston, along with other Chicago basketball standouts like Nick Anderson, Tim Hardaway, and Juwan Howard, was featured in the Oct. 2012 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Benji, on the life and tragic murder of Wilson.
He continued his collegiate career at Bradley University before transferring to Loyola University Chicago, where he played guard and further developed his game. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
After his playing days, Bankston dedicated his life to coaching and mentoring students. He most recently served as a basketball coach at TF North Fractional High School in Calumet City, Illinois, where he started off as a special education teacher’s aide and assistant basketball coach before becoming the lead basketball coach in 2002 for the Meteor.
Family members remembered Bankston as a devoted father, brother, and role model. His son, Timothy Bankston Jr., pledged to carry on his father’s legacy, while his sister described him as “a beautiful spirit” whose love for family matched his passion for coaching.
“He was such a beautiful spirit, such a great brother…..more than just a basketball coach, more than just a basketball legend, a family man,” his sister, Karolyn Wright, told ABC 7 Chicago.
His brother, Charles Bankston, shared with the news outlet the pain of losing him.
“It hurts like everything I can never imagine in my life. I didn’t cry like this when my mom and dad died, but the love I have for him will be everlasting,” Charles stated.
Following the news of his death, Thornton Fractional High School District 215 released a statement on July 30th, offering grief counseling and described Bankston not only as a coach but also as a mentor to many students and alumnus.
“For almost 30 years, Coach Bankston was a mentor that countless TFN alumni credit for being the overriding influence that made them into the positive, productive members of the communities that they are today. So many of our students have benefited from his inspiration and leadership, and this loss is deeply painful,” the school principal Brian Rucinski wrote in the school’s press release on Bankston’s death.
Rucinski added, “The entire Thornton Fractional High School District 215 family will miss Coach Bankston, and his positive impact will be eternal.”
Bankston’s commitment to developing young people earned him respect across Chicago’s basketball community and beyond. As investigators continue working to determine the circumstances surrounding his death, those who knew Tim Bankston say his greatest victories were measured by the generations of students he inspired to believe in themselves and strive for excellence.
Bankston is survived by his wife, Lorna, and three children.
