'Sad day': Former NBA player Brandon Hunter dies at age 42

Former NBA player Brandon Hunter, an Ohio University standout who played for the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic before a lengthy overseas basketball career, has died at the age of 42.

Hunter died on Tuesday after collapsing during a hot yoga class in Orlando, his mother-in-law Carolyn Cliett told NBC News. His death was confirmed by Ohio University and the Magic on social media Wednesday.

"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. Ohio University described Hunter as an "Ohio basketball legend," adding, "Our thoughts are with Brandon’s family at this time."

Hunter played for the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team from 1999 to 2003, where he earned All-Mid-American Conference Freshman Team honors in 2000 and was named a three-time All-MAC First Team honoree (2001-03). He holds program records for free throws made (561), free throws attempted (923) and rebounds (1,103) and was inducted into the Ohio University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

"Sad day for Bobcat Nation. Brandon Hunter, Gone way too soon," Jeff Boals, head coach of the Bobcats men's basketball team, wrote in a social media post. "One of the best to ever put on the green and white."

In a statement shared by the university, Boals added: "Brandon was a phenomenal player at Ohio who went on to have a great pro career. He was up on campus last year, with his son, for his well-deserved induction into the Ohio University Athletics Hall of Fame. Brandon was a great ambassador for Ohio, a great teammate, a great competitor, and a great family man. Brandon had an infectious personality that touched many people along his journey and will be truly missed. We are thinking about and praying for his wife Mary and three children during this time." 

Hunter was selected with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Celtics, where he played 36 games and averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds his rookie campaign. He played 31 games for the Magic in 2004-05, his final season in the league.

The Cincinnati native played overseas in Greece, Italy, Israel and Turkey from 2006 to 2013.

Tim O'Shea, who served as the Bobcats men's basketball team head coach from 2001 to 2008, said Hunter was a successful sports agent after his playing career.

"We stayed in touch over the years, and I was incredibly proud of the husband, father, and citizen he became," O'Shea wrote in a Facebook statement.