Brandon Hunter, a former NBA player who played with the Boston Celtics, and the Orlando Magic, died on Tuesday (September 12), NBC News reports. He was 42.

Carolyn Cliett, Hunter's mother-in-law said he collapsed during a hot yoga session in Orlando.

"It was hot yoga, and he did it regularly," Cliett said. "He was in good shape as far as we know. We're just shocked."

An alumnus of Ohio University, the school confirmed his passing in an official statement.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Brandon Hunter. Brandon was a phenomenal player at Ohio who went on to have a great pro career," Bobcats coach Jeff Boals wrote.

"Brandon was a great ambassador for Ohio, a great teammate, a great competitor, and a great family man. Brandon had an infectious personality that touched many people along his journey and will be truly missed," he said.

Hunter is one of the best basketball players in Ohio University history and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). During his tenure, he was a four-year letter winner, from 1999-03. He was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team in 2000 and was a three-time All-MAC First Team honoree from 2001-03. In 2002-03, he led all of Division I college basketball with 12.6 rebounds per game.  He still holds school records in free throws made (561), free throws attempted (923), and rebounds (1,103).

In the 2003 NBA draft, Hunter was selected as the 56th pick in the second round by the Boston Celtics. After a season with the Celtics and another season with the Orlando Magic, Hunter went on to play for several teams in Europe and Africa.

After retiring from basketball, Hunter became a successful real estate broker and was a certified sports agent with NBPA (National Basketball Player’s Association) and FIBA.

He also launched CoachUp, a private coaching service in the Cincinnati area.

Hunter was inducted into the Withrow Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017 and in 2022, he was inducted into the Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame.

Former Ohio University coach Tim O’Shea shared that Hunter was a great basketball player but an even better person.

“For me, it was incredibly rewarding to see how he matured as a person," O'Shea said.

"He invested money wisely. He had real estate and some rental properties,” O’Shea continued. "He came from a very tough childhood, so it was amazing to see how athletics can be a vehicle to change somebody's life, and he was a great example of that."

Hunter is survived by his wife, Mary, and three children.