Brandon Hunter, a former NBA player who was drafted by the Boston Celtics, has died at the age of 42.
Jeff Boals, the head men’s basketball coach at Ohio University, Hunter’s alma mater, paid tribute to Hunter on social media.
“RIP to a Bobcat great. Gone way too soon,” Boals posted as part of his Instagram story Tuesday night.
Hunter, a Cincinnati native, was selected by the Celtics with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft. The 6-foot-7 power forward was a three-time First Team All-MAC player for the Ohio Bobcats. In his senior season, Hunter averaged 21.5 points per game and an NCAA Division I-leading 12.6 rebounds per game. He also finished his college career with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
As a rookie, Hunter played in 36 games for the Celtics and started 12. He averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while playing 11.3 minutes per contest.
The Celtics left Hunter unprotected in the 2004 NBA expansion draft, during which he was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats. Hunter did not get a chance to play for the Bobcats before they traded him to the Orlando Magic in November 2004. He averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds across 31 games with the Magic.
Hunter was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent in September 2005, but was waived a month later. He had a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers in October 2006 before embarking on an international basketball career that lasted into 2013.
“We just spoke last week,” Hunter’s former Bucks teammate, T.J. Ford, wrote on social media in reaction to the news. “Losing a lot of my friends lately.”
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Hunter went on to found Hunter Athlete Management, a sports agency that represents professional athletes and coaches worldwide, in June 2021.