The mother of an aspiring NBA player has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the league and one of its teams.
Zeke Upshaw, a G-League player in the Detroit Pistons‘ organization collapsed during a game in March and later died.
A medical examiner later determined Upshaw suffered a “sudden cardiac death” when he collapsed on the court during a March 24 game with less than 50 seconds remaining.
The lawsuit states the team’s doctor had already left the game and the medical staff and employees in the arena were not properly trained, according to woodtv.com.
Attorney Benjamin Crump filed the wrongful death lawsuit claiming negligence in the 26-year-old’s death. The law team is seeking unspecified damages.
#secondsmatter #zekeupshaw @ESPNNBA @SInow @NFLonFOX @SportsCenter @SportsCentre @sportingnews @usatodaysports @AP @CNN @MSNBC @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/JEEuQIJjMV
— Benjamin Crump, Esq. (@AttorneyCrump) May 30, 2018
“Despite this undeniable dire situation, no life-saving measures were attempted, no CPR was initiated and no defibrillator was used,” Crump said in a statement.
The NBA, Pistons, and the arena where the game was played are also named as defendants in the suit, according to Crump’s release.
“There is simply no good reason for the defendants to have been unprepared for sudden cardiac death events such as Zeke’s, and for their failure to react quickly to save a life,”Zeke’s mother Jewel Upshaw said in court papers filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court (via the New York Post).
“Had properly trained medical professionals administered expeditious and proper treatment, Zeke would still be alive,” the court document said.
The 6-foot-6 forward, Upshaw was in his second year with the Pistons’ G-League affiliate after going undrafted out of Hofstra. He averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds.
The game in which Upshaw collapsed was the regular-season finale for the G-League’s Grand Rapids Drive.
There are conflicting reports about medical services attempted after he collapsed on the court. Drive public address announcer Eric Zane told mlive.com: “What was remarkable was how fast a lady came out — within 10 seconds — she came sprinting out there with a defibrillator.”
Click here to read the full wrongful death lawsuit.
