Zeke Upshaw, who collapsed during the final minute of Saturday's game between the Grand Rapids Drive and the Long Island Nets, has died at the age of 26.
Upshaw collapsed with just over 40 seconds left in the game, and was transported to Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan to be placed under physician care.
Team statement on Zeke Upshaw: Zeke was transported to Spectrum Hospital after collapsing on the court in the closing seconds of last night's game and is currently under physicians care. Out of respect to Zeke and his family, further updates will be provided when available.
— Grand Rapids Drive (@grdrive) March 25, 2018
The team sent out the following statement on Monday afternoon, attributing Zeke's mother, Jewel:
"After continued efforts from the medical team at Spectrum Health, Zeke made his transition at 11:16 a.m. To family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans, and confidants, thank you for all your prayers and support during this most difficult time. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time. Details of his memorial will be announced at a later date. We'd like to thank the many doctors and nurses at Spectrum Health for their efforts in caring for our son. We'd also like to thank the Grand Rapids Drive for the support they have extended to our family."
Upshaw played at Illinois State for three seasons before transferring to Hofstra for his senior year, where he averaged 19.9 points per game. He played in Europe before being drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NBA Developmental League Draft by the Drive.
