List of basketball players who died during their careers
This is a list of players of basketball who died while still on a team roster or a free agent. Included are players in the NBA, college, and other leagues. Players who died following the conclusion of their career should not be included. Players are listed with the team they last played for before death, rather than the team the player spent most of their playing career with.
List of basketball players who died during their careers
| Name | Age | Position | Team | League | Cause of Death | Year | Ref. |
| 24 | Small forward | Sacramento Kings | NBA | suicide by gunshot | 1989 | ||
| 22 | Small forward | Boston Celtics | NBA | drug overdose-triggered heart attack | 1986 | ||
| 26 | Small forward | Partizan | YUBA | homicide by gunshot | 2000 | ||
| 29 | Power forward / Center | Blackwater Elite | PBA | collapsed during team practice - heart enlargement | 2016 | ||
| 28 | Center | Atlanta Hawks | NBA | heart condition | 2005 | ||
| 23 | Shooting guard | New Orleans Pelicans | NBA | self-defense gunshot | 2016 | ||
| 21 | Center | Baylor Bears | NCAA | Homicide | 2003 | ||
| 21 | Forward | Utah State Aggies | NCAA | electrocuted | 1965 | ||
| 29 | Shooting guard | Paderborn Baskets | ProA | homicide by gunshot | 2009 | ||
| 19 | Point guard | USC Trojans | NCAA | homicide by gunshot | 2003 | ||
| 25 | Small forward / Shooting guard | Utah Jazz | NBA | car crash | 1980 | ||
| 23 | Forward | Loyola Marymount Lions | NCAA | collapsed during game - heart condition | 1990 | ||
| 25 | Power forward / Center | Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA | car crash | 2007 | ||
| 19 | Forward | Mount St. Joseph Lions | NCAA | brain cancer | 2015 | ||
| 27 | Small forward | BC Khimki | EuroLeague | suicide by gunshot | 2018 | ||
| 26 | Forward | New York Nets | ABA | plane crash | 1975 | ||
| 27 | Small forward | Boston Celtics | NBA | collapsed at practice - heart attack | 1993 | ||
| 27 | Power forward / Center | Real Madrid Baloncesto | Liga ACB | car crash | 1989 | ||
| 29 | Power forward / Center | Orlando Magic | NBA | collapsed during summer league practice - heart enlargement | 2000 | ||
| 26 | Center | Brasília | NBB | natural causes - died in sleep | 2017 | ||
| 19 | Guard | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | NCAA | car crash | 2005 | ||
| 32 | Point guard | Houston Comets | WNBA | lung cancer | 1999 | ||
| 28 | Shooting guard | New Jersey Nets | NBA | car crash | 1993 | ||
| 30 | Shooting guard | Charlotte Hornets | NBA | car crash | 2000 | ||
| 23 | Shooting guard | Philadelphia Rage | ABL | suicide by gunshot | 1999 | ||
| 30 | Small forward / Shooting guard | Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA | car crash | 2000 | ||
| 20 | Small forward | LSU Tigers basketball | NCAA | homicide by gunshot | 2018 | ||
| 26 | Center | Al-Ittihad | SPL | collapsed during halftime - heart attack | 2008 | ||
| 20 | Power forward | Iowa Hawkeyes | NCAA | car crash | 1993 | ||
| 20 | Point guard | Njarðvík | Úrvalsdeild karla | accidental fall | 2000 | ||
| 34 | Power forward / Center | Vaqueros de Bayamón | BSN | heart attack | 2011 | ||
| 21 | Center | Leyma Coruña | LEB Oro | personal watercraft accident - drowning | 2019 | ||
| 26 | Small forward | Grand Rapids Drive | G League | collapsed during game - cardiac arrest | 2018 | ||
| 24 | Center | Phoenix Suns | NBA | plane crash | 1987 | ||
| 21 | Small forward | Grambling State | NCAA | collapsed during workout - complications from heat exhaustion | 2009 |
Evansville Purple Aces plane crash
In 1977, fourteen members of the Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team died in a plane crash, along with fifteen others. The players killed were:- Seniors: Kevin Kingston, John Ed Washington, and Marion Anthony “Tony” Windburn
- Juniors: Stephen Miller and Bryan Taylor
- Sophomores: Keith Moon
- Freshmen: Warren Alston, Ray Comandella, Mike Duff, Kraig Heckendorn, Michael Joyner, Barney Lewis, Greg Smith, and Mark Siegel