Brandon Hunter, Former Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic Star, Dead at 42: ‘Gone Way Too Soon’

Brandon Hunter, who played for the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, has died at the age of 42.

Ohio University head basketball coach Jeff Boals announced the news of Hunter’s death on social media Tuesday night, writing on X (formerly known as Twitter) that it was a “sad day for Bobcat nation.”

“Brandon Hunter, gone too soon,” he added. “One of the best ever to put on the green and white. #RIP.”

Boals did not provide information on how the former NBA star might have died.

Hunter was a basketball standout at Withrow University High School before becoming a Bobcat with the Ohio University men’s basketball team from 1999-2003. The Cincinnati Enquirer.

During his time there, he earned several accolades for the sport, including receiving All-Mid-American Conference Freshman Team honors in 2000 and being a three-time All-MAC First Team honoree, he added The Cincinnati Enquirer. During his senior year in college, Hunter led the entire NCAA in rebounding, according to Fox News.

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Because of his stardom with the Bobcats, Hunter was eventually selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, with the 56th pick. He played one season for the Celtics, where he played 36 games and averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds, writes Fox News.

He was then traded to the Orlando Magic, where he averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 31 games during the 2004-05 season.

Brandon Hunter plays for the Boston Celtics.

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty

“We are terribly saddened to learn of the loss of our former teammate, Brandon Hunter,” the Orlando Magic said in statement in memory of the basketball star. “We send our deepest condolences to the entire Hunter family.”

The note was signed by the Magic’s owners, the DeVos family, and the team’s players, coaches and staff.

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Brandon Hunter plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty

Former NBA player TJ Ford, who played briefly with Hunter when he was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent in 2005, also reacted to the news on Xsaying, “We were just talking last week. “I’ve lost a lot of friends lately.”

After leaving the NBA, Hunter went on to play basketball in countries including Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico and Turkey before returning to Cincinnati to pursue a career in real estate management and local sports, according to local Cincinnati station WCPO-TV.

“I told myself when I was done playing, I was going to go to real estate school and get my license no matter where I was,” Hunter told the outlet in a profile honoring him during his Withrow Hall of Fame induction. fame in 2017. Despite this, he added that he could never completely move away from his passion for basketball.

Brandon Hunter during his time with the Orlando Magic.

Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty

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“In the beginning, I wanted to be a coach. But with my experience and everything I learned about the collective bargaining agreement in the NBA and the transactions I saw while living abroad, understanding how teams are recruited and how different styles are in different countries, I decided to go into management. I thought I would flourish and be the best there,” he said.

Hunter was inducted into Ohio University’s Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletic Hall of Fame last year, by The Cincinnati Enquirer.

According to WCPO-TV, he leaves behind his wife, Mary, and two children, Andrew and Tristan.

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