Basketball star Janis Timma plunges to his death aged 32 in Moscow after facing backlash for playing in Putin’s Russia
THE body of Latvian basketball star Janis Timma has been found after he reportedly fell from a Moscow apartment complex.
The 32-year-old, who had a great career playing for teams like Zenit Saint Petersburg and Orlando Magic, was discovered in the stairway of the high-rise building.
The preliminary cause of the athlete's death has been ruled as suicide.
The NBA ace had recently faced backlash when he announced his intention to play professionally in Putin's Russia despite his brutal invasion of Ukraine.
He told Latvian outlet LSM in October: "It's something interesting to me.
"[I] Thought why not give it a try?"
Timma then slammed Instagram critics after announcing he would be competing in a tournament organised by Liga Stavok, a Russian bookmarker.
He wrote: "How useless you 99 per cent of my dear followers are.
"Leave my family alone at least. It's my decision, and I don't see anything wrong with it. I play basketball and live my life."
Janis Timma died unexpectedly on his ex-wife Anna Sedokova's birthday.
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The couple, married in 2020, had filed for divorce earlier this year.
A phone containing a message from Sedokova was reportedly found next to him when Timma's body was recovered on Monday, local media reports.
Sedokova, an actress and singer from Ukraine, shared a heartbreaking reaction to the player's death on Tuesday as she was seen in tears.
In an emotional message on Instagram, the mum asked her followers to keep her child out of controversies and that fans should keep the news of Timma's suicide "to themselves".
Sedokova said: "I beg you very much.
"I've wondered my whole life how people who have something like this happen to them can still post stories and now, I'm asking you very strongly - I have a child, he's small, he doesn't need to know any of this.
"I just have to save my child from this information. If you can, please keep it to yourself."
Born on July 2, 1992, in Krāslava, Latvia, Janis Tima began his professional basketball journey in Latvia, playing for several clubs in the Latvian Basketball League (LBL).
He gained recognition in top European leagues, playing for teams like VEF Rīga, Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia, and Baskonia in Spain.
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Typically playing as a small forward or shooting guard, he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 60th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Timma explored opportunities outside Europe, including playing in the NBA Summer League and a brief stint with the Lakeland Magic in the NBA G League - an Orlando Magic affiliate.
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