TLANTA -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died Saturday morning, possibly of cardiac arrest, the team said. He was 28.
Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said no other details immediately were available and did not say where Collier was when he died.
Collier experienced trouble breathing at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and his wife performed CPR and called 911. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Hawks players were notified of Collier's death at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning before a scheduled workout was canceled, according to the paper.
"Jason and his family are first and foremost in our prayers during this difficult time," Hawks general manager Billy Knight said in a statement. "Jason was a devoted family man who deeply loved his wife Katie, daughter Elezan (Ella), his parents and siblings. He was also a tremendous friend to the Hawks employees who spent time with him, and a hard-working and dedicated teammate to many NBA players over his five seasons in the league. We will truly miss Jason's personality and his spirit, and he will be in the thoughts and minds of our team and organization forever."
The 7-foot, 260-pound Collier, a five-year NBA player, spent his first three seasons with Houston before joining Atlanta in 2003. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in his career.
Collier played for Georgia Tech and was drafted by Milwaukee in the first round, with the 15th pick overall, in the 2000 NBA draft. Milwaukee traded his rights to Houston.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.-
ESPN
Jason Collier was initiated into the bonds at the University of Indiana in 1997.
Threaded Mode