Former NBA player Brandon Hunter was found dead on Tuesday, the Magic announced. He was 42 years old. Hunter's exact cause of death was not immediately known. News of his death was confirmed by Ohio men's basketball coach Jeff Boals on Tuesday, who paid tribute to Hunter calling him "Bobcat Great" in a social media post.
Not much detail about his death is known as of now. However, tributes have been pouring in from all corners including his club since news of his death broke on Tuesday. Hunter had an impressive four-year college career at Ohio University before spending two seasons in the NBA.
Sudden Death of a Star
Hunter was selected by the Celtics in the 2003 NBA Draft in the second round and went on to average 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 36 games. Subsequently, he was picked by the Charlotte Bobcats in the expansion draft the following summer.
He was later traded to the Orlando Magic, where he played during the 2004-05 season and averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 31 games.
"We are terribly saddened to learn of the loss of our former teammate, Brandon Hunter. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Hunter family," the Magic said in a statement.
Born in Cincinnati, Hunter excelled as a forward for Ohio during his college years. He earned recognition by being named to the All-Mid-American Conference Freshman Team in 2000, and he went on to achieve the honor of making three consecutive appearances on the All-MAC First Team.
"We are saddened to hear about the loss of Ohio basketball legend Brandon Hunter. Our thoughts are with Brandon's family at this time," Ohio basketball wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Life After a Successful Career
Following his two NBA seasons, Hunter extended his basketball career overseas, competing in countries such as Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Turkey. He returned to his hometown of Cincinnati after ending his playing career in 2013.
Following that Hunter started a company named Hunter Athletes Management, which focused on sports management, and a certified FIBA agent.
"I initially wanted to go into coaching," Hunter told WCPO in 2017. "But with my background and everything that I learned about the collective bargaining agreement in the NBA and the transactions I've seen while living abroad, the understanding of how teams recruit and how different styles are in different countries, I decided to go into management.
"I thought it would be where I would blossom and be the best."
