Former NBA player Brandon Hunter, who played for the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic, died Tuesday after collapsing while performing hot yoga, according to authorities and loved ones.
Hunter was 42 years old and had a lengthy career in Europe.
Hunter’s death was revealed by the Magic and his alma university, Ohio University, on Tuesday. Last year, he was put into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
“We are profoundly grieved to learn about Brandon Hunter’s death. “Brandon was a phenomenal player at Ohio who went on to have a fantastic pro career,” said Bobcats coach Jeff Boals in a statement.
“Brandon was a fantastic ambassador for Ohio, a fantastic teammate, a fantastic competitor, and a fantastic family man.” Brandon had an infectious personality that affected many people along the way and will be greatly missed,” he added.
The reason of death was not revealed right away.
Hunter fell following a heated yoga class at an Orlando studio, according to his mother-in-law, Carolyn Cliett.
“It was hot yoga, and he did it regularly,” she said. “As far as we know, he was in wonderful health. We’re absolutely astounded.”
Despite his NBA career being restricted to 36 games for Boston in 2003-04 and 31 for Orlando in 2004-05, Hunter used his entire basketball expertise to launch a successful career as an agent, assisting in the placement of players on foreign teams, according to his old college coach, Tim O’Shea.
“For me, it was incredibly rewarding to see how he matured as a person,” O’Shea said.
“He made wise financial investments.” “He had some rental properties and some real estate,” O’Shea said. “He came from a very tough childhood, so it was amazing to see how athletics can be a vehicle to change somebody’s life, and he was a great example of that.”
Hunter later played for teams in Greece, Italy, Israel, and France after leaving Boston and Orlando.
Hunter, a 6-foot-7 rebounder, topped Division I college basketball with 12.6 rebounds per game in 2002-03. He had the most rebounds in Ohio history, with 1,103 in his four years in Athens.
His wife, Mary, and three children, aged 5 to 15, survive him.
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