NBA To Be Sued In G-League Player Zeke Upshaw's Death

The NBA and Detroit Pistons facing wrongful death lawsuit after G-League player collapsed and died on the court in March

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The NBA is facing a lawsuit that will be filed by the mother of a G-League player that collapsed and died during a game in March.

Prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, lawyer Bob Hilliard and Upshaw's mother, will file a wrongful death lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of Zeke Upshaw, who played for NBA G-League's Grand Rapids Drive.

The attorneys are claiming negligence in Upshaw's death.

The 26-year-old Upshaw collapsed during a game against the Long Island Nets on March 24. He died two days later.

A medical examiner later determined that Upshaw suffered a "sudden cardiac death" after collapsing on the court.

#secondsmatter #zekeupshaw @ESPNNBA @SInow @NFLonFOX @SportsCenter @SportsCentre @sportingnews @usatodaysports @AP @CNN @MSNBC @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/JEEuQIJjMV

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 30, 2018

"Despite this undeniable dire situation, no life-saving measures were attempted, no CPR was initiated and no defibrillator was used," a statement from Crump said.

The NBA, The Detroit Pistons, The Grand Rapids Drive's owners and the Deltaplex Arena, where the game was held, are the defendants in the case.

Upshaw, who played college Illinois State and Hofstra, spent the last two seasons with the Drive, appearing in 75 games. He averaged 7.6 points during his tenure with the team.