Sam’s Story

On August 22, at the age of 30, Sam Waisbren passed away after a tragic elevator failure on his way to work in New York City.

Sam was deeply loved by vast communities throughout his life. He lit up every room he was in and made every friend feel like they were best friends. 


When Sam was 9, his father started a youth basketball team in an under-served community in Milwaukee out of the Northcott Community Center. For the next seven years, Sam and his teammates played weekly tournaments throughout Wisconsin, including winning the state AAU championship in 2003.

Through the team, Sam developed meaningful friendships with children from the north side of Milwaukee with whom he otherwise would not have crossed paths. He often reflected on how important this experience was in his development and outlook on the world.

There is no legacy Sam would have loved more than to revitalize support for this kind of constructive after-school program.


The GoFundMe we started in honor of our beloved Sam went viral almost immediately which has galvanized this broader effort. The Waisbren family sends our deepest thanks to everyone who cares about Sam for making this possible.