Ex-NBA player Quinton Ross: erroneous death report made for 'tough day'

Quinton Ross (left) spent seven seasons in the NBA. (Ned Dishman/Getty Images) The erroneous report of his death made Monday a day to forget for former NBA

Quinton Ross (left) spent seven seasons in the NBA. (Ned Dishman/Getty Images)

The erroneous report of his death made Monday a day to forget for former NBA player Quinton Ross.

The New York Post reported Monday morning that Ross's body was found inside a trash bag on a beach in New York. Within hours, the paper had retracted the report, noting that the deceased was in fact a different man named Quinton Ross.

Ross, a native of Dallas who spent seven seasons in the NBA, told the Associated Press that he was in Texas when he awoke to the inaccurate news and many worried messages from friends and family.

"A couple (relatives) already heard it,'' Ross said. ''They were crying. I mean, it was a tough day, man, mostly for my family and friends ... My phone was going crazy. I checked Facebook. Finally, I went on the Internet, and they were saying I was dead. I just couldn't believe it.''

Ross went undrafted in 2003 after spending four years at Southern Methodist University. He caught on with the Clippers in 2004 and would go on to average 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds during a career that also included stops with the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Wizards and Nets.