Former NBA player Brandon Hunter has recently passed away at 42.
Social media posts from the Boston Celtics and his alma mater, Ohio University, acknowledged his death, although it was not revealed how Hunter died. NBC News reported that he collapsed during a hot yoga session at an Orlando studio, according to his mother-in-law, Carolyn Cliett.
“It was hot yoga, and he did it regularly,” she said. “He was in good shape as far as we know. We’re just shocked.”
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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 DeVos family, players, coaches and staff of the @OrlandoMagic pic.twitter.com/OLs0XMjrdA
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) September 13, 2023
According to WLWT, Hunter played basketball at Withrow High School (Cincinnati, OH) before graduating in 1999, where he left to attend Ohio University. In his four-year collegiate career, he averaged 16.9 points per game and had a career-high 21.5 per game average as a senior. He also led the division, grabbing 12.6 rebounds per game in the 2002-03 school year. He was named to the First Team All-MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference) three times. He was the career leader in rebounds, snatching 1,103 boards while playing at Ohio.
His stellar athleticism earned him induction into both Withrow High School and Ohio University’s Hall of Fame.
After graduating from Ohio, the Boston Celtics drafted Hunter in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft. He played there for one season before he was left unprotected in the 2004 NBA Expansion draft. The Charlotte Bobcats took advantage of that and selected him for its team. He was then traded to the Orlando Magic, where he played 31 games.
NBC News reported that, although he only played for two years in the NBA, he did find work overseas playing for teams in Greece, Italy, Israel, and France. After unlacing his sneakers, Hunter started a sports agency, Hunter Athlete Management, representing professional athletes and coaches worldwide in June 2021.