Former NBA player Brandon Hunter, who spent time with the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, passed away on Tuesday after collapsing during a hot yoga session.
Hunter was 42 and had a lengthy career in Europe.
Tuesday saw the announcements of Hunter’s passing from The Magic and Ohio University, his alma mater.
Last year, he was honored with a spot in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
“We are shocked to learn about Brandon Hunter’s demise. Brandon had a fantastic pro career after being a wonderful college player at Ohio, according to Bobcats coach Jeff Boals.
“Brandon was a fantastic teammate, a great competitor, a great family man, and a great representative for Ohio. Many people along his path were impacted by Brandon’s contagious attitude, and he will be sorely missed.
Hunter’s demise’s cause wasn’t immediately made public.
The athlete passed out during a heated yoga class at a studio in Orlando, according to his mother-in-law Carolyn Cliett, who spoke to NBC News.
He frequently practiced hot yoga, she remarked. As far as we know, he was in terrific health. Just astonished, really.
Even though Hunter’s NBA career was constrained to just 31 games for Orlando in 2004–05 and 36 games for Boston in 2003–04, he used his total basketball expertise to launch a successful career as an agent, placing players on international teams, according to Tim O’Shea, his former college coach.
O’Shea remarked, “For me, it was extremely satisfying to see how he developed as a person.”
He made excellent financial decisions and owned both rental homes and real estate. He had a pretty difficult upbringing, so it was fantastic to see how sports could be a catalyst for someone’s life to improve. He was a perfect example of that.
Hunter played for teams in France, Greece, Italy, Israel, and Boston in addition to Orlando and Boston.
The Division I college basketball league’s top rebounder in 2002–03, Hunter, who is 6 feet 7 inches tall, averaged 12.6 boards per game. With 1,103 rebounds across his four years in Athens, he holds the record for most rebounds in Ohio’s history.
His wife Mary and three children, who range in age from five to fifteen, are still living.