NBA basketball player who died recently include Alexandros Varitimiadis, Nilay Aydogan, Rusland Otverchenko, and more. Retired athletes like Willis Reed and Lance Blanks also left the world this year.
National Basketball League has never been exempt from tragedy since its formation. It has been marred with many deaths.
From young athletes who passed before their time or older figures who still had a lot left to give, every death hits hard.
For some reason, this decade has been hurt with loss more than the last. It seems like another passing appears on the news every month.
This list contains some athletes who passed in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, it is less about discussing their deaths and more about bringing attention to and paying tribute to all the great players, young or old, we've lost in the last five years.
NBA Players That Died 2022
NBA players that died in 2022 include legendary athlete Bill Russell. However, Russell was not the only member of the NBA family to pass away in the past year.
Some others are:
- Gene Shue- April 3, 2022
- Wayne Cooper- April 11, 2022
- Adreian Payne- May 9, 2022
- Bob Lanier- May 10, 2022
- Caleb Swanigan _ June 20, 2022
- Johnny Egan- July 21, 2022
- Bill Russell- July 31, 2022
- Togo Palazzi- August 12, 2022
- Paul Silas- December 10, 2022
- Louis Orr- December 15, 2022
Adreian Payne
Adreian Payne passed away on May 9, 2022, after being fatally shot. Payne was just 31 years old.
Adreian started his playing career after he enrolled at Jefferson High School. Later he played for Michigan State Spartans in the college basketball.
Atlanta Hawks selected him for the team, in the 2014 Draft. In the summer league, he scored an average of 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. His second franchise in the league was Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Hawks traded him to the Timberwolves in exchange if a protected first-round pick in 2015. After three seasons with the team, he signed with Orlando Magic in August 2017.
Throughout his journey in the league, Payne played in 107 regular games. He scored an APG of .6 and 2.9 rebounds. Moreover, he played for Panathinaikos in the Euro League 2017-2018.
Caleb Swanigan
Caleb Swanigan passed away on June 20, 2022, due to natural causes. Swanigan was just 25 years old at the time of passing away.
"Indiana's Mr. Basketball" began his professional career with Portland Trail Blazers in 2017. He had been dreaming of that moment for a long time.
After playing two seasons with the team, he was traded to Sacramento Kings in 2019. He played with the G league franchise Stockton Kings on December 16.
On January 20, 2020, Portland acquired him back in exchange for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver, and two future second-round picks.
NBA Players That Died in 2021
NBA players that died in 2021 consist of Paul Westphal, Elgin Baylor, Mark Eaton, and more. The new decade started relentlessly.
The deaths that have occurred this year happened to some very recognizable figures in the basketball world. This year, the league lost plenty of former athletes, and they will never be forgotten.
Here are some of the NBA kings who have passed away this year:
- Paul Westphal- January 2, 2021
- Harthorne Wingo- January 20, 2021
- Elgin Baylor- March 22, 2021
- Granville Waiters- March 23, 2021
- Bobby Leonard- April 13, 2021
- Terence Clarke- April 22, 2021
- Mark Eaton- May 28, 2021
- Eric Mobley- June 2, 2021
- Bob Ferry- October 27, 2021
- Don Kojis- November 19, 2021
- Sam Jones- December 30, 2021
Mark Eaton
Mark Eaton passed away on May 28, 2021, due to a bicycle accident. Eaton was 64 years old.
Eaton debuted in the league after the Utah Jazz picked him with the 72nd overall pick in the 1982 Draft. Since then, he played with the club until he decided to retire from his playing career.
One of the best defensive centers in the league's history played basketball as a freshman at Cypress College. In the league, he helped the Jazz win their first Midwest Division.
The 7-foot-4-inch athlete won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice, in 1985 and 1989. Likewise, he was named as a member of the All-Defensive Team five times.
The Utah Jazz retired his jersey number "53" in 1996 as an honor of his contributions to the club. He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2010
NBA Players That Died in 2020
NBA players that died in 2020 include Kobe Bryant, Jerry Sloan, Fred Neal, and more. 2020 suffered a loss of maximum athletes in comparison to the other four years.
They are:
- Robert Archibald- January 23, 2020
- Kobe Bryant- January 26, 2020
- Les Hunter- March 27, 2020
- Mark McNamara- April 27, 2020
- Johny McCarthy- May 9, 2020
- Jim Tucker- May 14, 2020
- Jerry Sloan- May 22, 2020
- Wes Unseld- June 2, 2020
- Dick Garmaker- June 15, 2020
- Stanley Robinson- July 21, 2020
- Mike Gale- July 31, 2020
- Andre Spencer- August 4, 2020
- Clifford Robinson- August 29, 2020
- John Thompson- August 30, 2020
- Eddie Johnson - October 26, 2020
- Tom Heinsohn- November 9, 2020
- Terry Duerod- November 13, 2020
- Walt Davis- November 16, 2020
- Eugene Kennedy- December 8, 2020
- Wiliam Rodney Averitt- December 12, 2020
- Bruce Seals- December 15, 2020
- K.C. Jones- December 25, 2020
Kobe Bryant
NBA player who died in helicopter crash was Kobe Bryant. Bryant lost his life on January 26, 2020, after the chopper crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas.
The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard was only 41 years old. With him, his daughter Gianna and seven others on board lost their lives.
Bryant was famed as one of the greatest players and scorers in the history of the National Basketball Association. He had won five NBA championships, 18 All-Star, 15-times All-NBA team, and a Most Valuable Player Award in 2008.
Kobe spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers. He signed a three-year rookie deal with the team worth $3.5 million in 1996.
Until his last regular game with the Lakers in the 2015-2016 season, he played 1346 matches and scored an APG of 4.7 and PPG of 19.3. In the final game against Utah on April 13, he became the oldest athlete to score 60 or more points in a single game
Stanley Robinson
Stanley Robinson passed away on July 21, 2020, due to fentanyl toxicity. Robinson was 32 years old at the time of passing.
The tragedy occurred a week later 32nd birthday at his home in Birmingham, AL.
Robinson was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 59th overall pick in the 2010 draft. However, he couldn't play the regular game with the Magic as they omitted him after the training camp in October 2010.
Before that, he participated in college basketball with the UConn Huskies from 2006 to 2010. In the 2011-2012 season, Stanley performed in the NBA Development League for Iowa Energy.
NBA Players That Died In 2019
NBA players that died in 2019 include John Havlicek, Billu Gabor, Clinton Wheeler, and more. 2019 saw a lot of retired athletes get snuffed.
Andre Emmett
NBA players that have died young include Andre Emmett. Emmett was just 37 when he passed away on September 23, 2019, after being shot in Dallas.
Even though he had a brief tour of duty in the NBA, Andre left a mark as a potential B-ball athlete. Seattle SuperSonics picked him in the 2004 draft.
However, he played his debut match with the Memphis Grizzlies after he was traded to the team in a draft night trade. In the first season, he performed in a total of 8 games.
Emmett later entered the rink in the 2011-2012 season with the New Jersey Nets. Even though he was traded to some other NBA franchises in between, his second regular season game was with the Nets.
In two regular seasons, he competed in 14 games and maintained an APG of 0.1 and rebounds per game at 0.6. His average points per game was 1.4.
Anthony Grundy
Anthony Grundy passed away on November 14, 2019, after being stabbed during an argument in his hometown. Grundy was just 40 years old.
Starting playing the brown ball as a high school career, Grundy is an undrafted athlete in the National Basketball Association. He signed with the Atlanta Hawks for a ten-day contract in the 2005-2006 season.
Anthony played 12 games with the team, making his last against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 19, 2006. The subsequent year, he played with the Siviglia Wear Teramo in the Italian League.
Other NBA Players Who Died In 2021
- Clinton Wheeler- February 14, 2019
- Cal Ramsey- March 25, 2019
- John Havlicek- April 25, 2019
- Billy Gabor- June 14, 2019
- Lewis Lloyd- July 5, 2019
- Jim Marsh- August 12, 2019
- Ed Kalafat- October 7, 2019
- Al Bianchi- October 28, 2019
- Wat Misaka- Novemeber 20, 2019
NBA players that died in 2018
NBA Players that died in 2018 include Rasual Butler, Hal Greer, Daryl Thomas, and more. 2018 saw a lot of young athletes get snuffed.
Though it is hard to believe, 2018 saw more young and dedicated athletes pass away than the previous years. Not just the young ones, but also the former athletes, some of the Hall of Fame inducted also passed away this year.
For instance, Jo Jo White's sudden demise in the first month saddened all the B-ball lovers. He passed away two months later his 71st birthday.
Zeke Upshaw
NBA players that died on the court was Zeke Upshaw. Upshaw was only 26 years old.
The 26-year-old was playing for the Grand Rapids at DeltaPlex Arena when he fell unconscious. He scored 11 points in the regular-season finale leading to the victory over Long Island Ners with a 101-99.
The Rapids Drive selected him in the 2016 NBA Development League Draft. Within 34 regular games with the Drive, he scored 6.5 points on average with 3.0 rebounds per game in the 2016-2017 season.
Rashul Butler
Rashul Butler passed away on January 31, 2018, due to a high-speed car accident. Butler was only 38 years old.
Miami Heat acquired him to the team in the 2002 NBA draft. After three seasons with the team, he was traded to New Orleans Hornets in 2005.
Besides, in an overall 14-year career in the National Basketball League, Butler played for Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and San Antonio Spurs.
He played 809 regular games and maintained an average of 7.5 points per game and an APG of .8. His outside shooting was considered his biggest strength.
Butler shot 46 percent out of 50 from behind the three-point line during the 2003-2004 season with the Heat.
Other Players Who Died in 2018
- Jo Jo White- January 16, 2018
- Darryl Thomas- March 28, 2018
- Harold Greer- April 14, 2018
- Clifford Rozier- July 6, 2018
- Tyler Honeycutt- July 7, 2018
- Frank Ramsey- July 8, 2018
- Len Chappell- July 12, 2018
- Robin Jones- July 16, 2018
