BREAKING NEWS: ‘Gone Way Too Soon’ Former Boston Celtics Super Star , Dead at 42

At the age of 42, Brandon Hunter, a former player for the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, passed away.

The death of Hunter was announced on social media by Ohio University’s head basketball coach Jeff Boals on Tuesday night. Boals said on X (previously known as Twitter) that it was a “Sad day for Bobcat Nation.”

Bruce Hunter, Gone far too quickly, he continued. “Among the best people to ever don the green and white. #RIP.”

Boals made no mention of the former NBA player’s possible cause of death.

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Hunter was a strong basketball player at Withrow University High School before moving on to play as a Bobcat for Ohio University’s men’s basketball team from 1999 to 2003.

He received multiple distinctions for his participation in the sport during his time there, including being named to the All-Mid-American Conference Freshman Team in 2000 and being named to the All-MAC First Team three times, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. According to Fox News, Hunter led the NCAA in rebounding during his university’s final year.

Hunter subsequently went on to be selected by the Boston Celtics with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the NBA draft in 2003 as a result of his stellar play with the Bobcats. According to Fox News, he spent one season with the Celtics, appearing in 36 games while averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.

After that, he was traded to the Orlando Magic, where he played in 31 games while averaging 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds.

The Orlando Magic released a statement in memory of basketball great Brandon Hunter that read, “We are terribly saddened to learn of the loss of our former teammate, Brandon Hunter.” The entire Hunter family has our sincere sympathy.

The DeVos family, who own the Magic, as well as the team’s players, coaches, and staff all signed the letter.
Upon hearing the news on X, former NBA player T.J. Ford also expressed his reaction, saying, “We just chatted last week. “Losing a lot of my friends lately.” Ford briefly played with Hunter when he was hired as a free agency by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005.

According to Cincinnati local station WCPO-TV, Hunter played basketball after leaving the NBA in places including Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Turkey before coming home to Cincinnati to pursue a career in real estate and regional sports management.

In a 2017 biography written in Hunter’s honor for his induction into the Withrow Athletic Hall of Fame, the news source quoted Hunter as saying, “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.” Despite this, he said, he had never been able to entirely break away from his love of basketball.

I originally wanted to become a coach. But given my background, everything I’ve learned about the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the transactions I’ve witnessed while living abroad, my knowledge of how teams hire players, and how different cultures have different styles, I’ve decided to pursue a career in management. I believed that would be the place where I would grow and excel,” he remarked.

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Hunter was honored last year by being inducted into Ohio University’s Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife Mary and their two children, Andrew and Tristan, according to WCPO-TV.