NBA Developmental League Player Collapses Unconscious On Court During Play

Zeke Upshaw of the Grand Rapids Drive, a team in the NBA’s developmental league, collapsed on the court in the closing moments of Saturday’s tilt against the Long Island Nets, and had to be taken from the court on a stretcher and rushed to a nearby hospital.

In the video below, the very last time you will see Upshaw upright is just two seconds in—he fights over a screen near the top of the arc and trails his man to the weak-side corner. The very next time he appears on screen, seconds later, he is flat on the court and unconscious. The game was stopped very soon thereafter:

Upshaw played college ball at Illinois State and Hofstra, and has been with the Drive for two seasons. He played 28 minutes off the bench Saturday, scoring 11 points as part of a strong bench performance that put the Drive ahead. The game eventually resumed after his collapse, and the Drive held on for the victory. I’m more than a little surprised the game continued, and I have a hunch it probably wouldn’t have if the score hadn’t been so close, or if there’d been much more time left on the clock. This was really a frightening moment. Per an MLive report:

“I immediately knew it was terrible because he wasn’t moving,” said Drive public address announcer Eric Zane. “What was remarkable was how fast a lady came out - within 10 seconds - she came sprinting out there with a defibrillator.”

Zane did not know if the defibrillator was used.

Upshaw was reportedly taken to Spectrum Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, and his condition has not been updated as of Sunday morning.