The 26-year-old G League’s Grand Rapids Drive forward Zeke Upshaw died on Monday, two days after he collapsed on the basketball court just near the end of a game and was taken to a hospital.
Upshaw passed away on Monday morning at the Spectrum Health with his family by his side. The Drive posted a tweet of a statement which Upshaw’s mother Jewel Upshaw had stated in which she said that her son died on Monday morning after continued efforts from the medical team at the Spectrum Health located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Jewel Upshaw said in her statement, “To family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans & confidants, thank you for your prayers and support during this most difficult time.” However, the details regarding a memorial were not announced.
The Drive, who are affiliated along with Detroit Pistons of NBA, said in a statement that Upshaw had a warm personality and was a tremendous representative of their organization both on as well as off the court.
In Upshaw’s memory, the Pistrons held a moment of silence on Monday night before their game that was held against the Los Angeles Lakers. The G League also delayed its playoffs, which not only delayed the drive’s upcoming game but also the entire first round as well. The conference quarterfinal games have been moved to March 30 and 31 from their actual scheduled date of March 27 and 28.
Malcolm Turner, G League’s president, said that the league was ‘devastated’ by Upshaw’s passing away. Turner said in a statement that Zeke was an outstanding young man who had a powerful belief in himself and uncommon perseverance led to a successful professional basketball career.
Several other NBA players also posted sorrow messages after knowing the sad news of Upshaw’s death was announced. Some members belonging to the Pistons also scrawled tributes on the sneakers they had worn for the game on Monday night.
