Former Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic player collapsed during a session of hot yoga and passed away
The NBA community lost a former player this Wednesday. Brandon Hunter, who played his first career seasons with the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic, collapsed during a hot yoga session and died at the age of 42. He also played at Ohio University during his time in college and played most of his career abroad.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Brandon Hunter. Brandon was a phenomenal player at Ohio who went on to have a great pro career,” Ohio Bobcats coach Jeff Boals said in a statement. “Brandon was a great ambassador for Ohio, a great teammate, a great competitor, and a great family man. He had an infectious personality that touched many people along his journey and will be truly missed.”
Carolyn Cliett, Hunter’s mother-in-law, spoke to NBC News about the sudden death of her son-in-law. “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.”
He only played 36 games for the Boston Celtics and 31 for the Orlando Magic, totalling 67 games in the NBA. In this period he averaged 3.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 9.4 minutes per game. He also recorded two double-doubles in the league.
Career abroad
Hunter debuted in the NBA in 2003. Two seasons later, in 2005, he left the NBA and never came back. He had a quick stint in the NBA G-League before going to Europe. After that, he also played in South America and the Caribbean. Hunter had great seasons in Italy, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Latvia, Germany, and France. Before retiring in 2013, playing in Uruguay, he also had a season in Puerto Rico.
After retiring, Hunter also coached for a few years. He had a coaching private service called CoachUp and used to coach in the Cincinnati area, in Ohio.
