Brandon Hunter, a former NBA player who spent two seasons in the league before playing overseas, has died. He was 42 years old. The cause of death was not announced, but Ohio University basketball head coach Jeff Boals broke the news on Tuesday night.
“Sad day for Bobcat Nation. Brandon Hunter, Gone way too soon,” Boals wrote on social media. “One of the best to ever put on the green and white.” Hunter played for The Ohio Bobcats men’s basketball team from 1999 to 2003. During his time with the Bobcats, Hunter was named the All-MAC First Team three times and led the NCAA in rebounding his senior year. Hunter collected 1,103 rebounds and 2,012 points during his time at Ohio, and his production led to him being selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft.
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During his rookie season, Hunter averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 36 games with 12 starts. Following the 2003-2004 season, Hunter was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft. He didn’t play one game for the Bobcats as he was traded to the Orlando Magic in November 2004. Hunter played in 31 games for the Magic and averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest.
“We are terribly saddened to learn of the loss of our former teammate, Brandon Hunter,” the Magic said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to the entire Hunter family.” After playing in the NBA, Hunter went on to play basketball in different countries, including Greece, Italy and Turkey before returning to Cincinnati to start a career and real estate and local sports management.
“I told myself that once I was done playing, I was going to go to school for real estate and get my license no matter where I was,” Hunter told WCPO-TV in 2017. “I initially was living in Florida and then I moved back up here. So no matter where I was — Texas, Florida, the (Upper Peninsula) — I just wanted to get my license and get a better idea of transactions and everything that goes on behind the scenes. … I initially wanted to go into coaching. But with my background and everything that I learned about the collective bargaining agreement in the NBA and the transactions I’ve seen while living abroad, the understanding of how teams recruit and how different styles are in different countries, I decided to go into management.”
