Zeke Upshaw, a player with the Detroit Pistons’ G-League affiliate The Grand Rapids Drive, has died two days after collapsing during a game.
The Drive confirmed the 26-year-old’s death in a statement. “The Drive family is mourning the tragic loss of Zeke Upshaw. He had a warm personality and was a tremendous representative of our organization both on and off the court. Our thoughts are with all of Zeke’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
Statement from the Drive: "The Drive family is mourning the tragic loss of Zeke Upshaw. He had a warm personality and was a tremendous representative of our organization both on and off the court. Our thoughts are with all of Zeke’s family and friends during this difficult time." pic.twitter.com/FxQtaJoqbG
— Grand Rapids Drive (@grdrive) March 26, 2018
Upshaw’s mother, Jewel, said her son had died on Monday morning despite the efforts of hospital staff in Grand Rapids. “To family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans & confidants, thank you for your prayers and support during this most difficult time,” Jewel Upshaw said in the statement posted to Twitter.
Upshaw collapsed with 50 seconds remaining in Saturday’s home game against the Long Island Nets. The G-League is the NBA’s developmental league, which teams use to evaluate promising players.
Upshaw played college basketball with Hofstra and Illinois State, from which he graduated with a degree in apparel, merchandising and design. He was undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft and played in Slovenia and Luxembourg before being picked up by the Drive in 2016.
