Tragic final post as NBA player’s body found on stairway entrance

A former NBA star has been found dead in tragic circumstances. His pop star ex-wife has released devastating details.

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 previously played with the Orlando Magic in the NBA, was discovered in the stairway entrance of the high-rise building.

Timma died unexpectedly on his ex-wife Anna Sedokova’s birthday.

The preliminary cause of the athlete’s death has been ruled as suicide.

An official cause of death has not yet been determined.

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Timma, who had played for Euro giants Zenit Saint Petersburg, had recently faced backlash when he announced his intention to play professionally in Russia despite the country’s war with Ukraine, The Sun reports.

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.

Janis Timma and Anna Sedokova. Photo: Getty, Instagram.

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.”

A phone containing a message from Sedokova was reportedly found next to him when the body was recovered on Tuesday, local media reports.

The couple, married in 2020, had filed for divorce earlier this year.

Sedokova, an actor, TV presenter and singer from Ukraine, shared a heartbreaking reaction to the player’s death on Tuesday as she was seen in tears.

Sedokova rose to prominence in 2002 as a member of the Ukrainian pop girl group Nu Virgos, also known as VIA Gra, which made her a big name star in Russia.

Janis Timma watched on the front row. Photo: Instagram.

Janis Timma's final Instagram post.

In an emotional message on Instagram, the 32-year-old 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.”

A heartbreaking final Instagram post from Timma in the days leading up to the tragedy has since emerged.

The short video showed himself shooting jump shots outside in the pouring rain.

Timma did not caption the post but added the song Boombastic by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy in the background.

“Boombastic, Tell me fantastic, touch me on the back, She says I’m Mr. Ro-Mantic,” the lyrics in Timma’s video say.

Janis Timma and Anna Sedokova had filed for divorce. Photo: Instagram.

Anna Sedokova has been left devastated. Photo: Instagram, @annasedokova.

Born on July 2, 1992, in Kraslava, 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.

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.

Boston Celtics star centre and NBA Champion Kristaps Porzingis has also mourned the death of his former Latvian national teammate.

“Oh nooo, please tell me it’s not true,” Porzingis wrote in an Instagram Story.

“Human connection is the cornerstone of our mental health. Please, let’s look after one another. Rest in peace, JT.”

The Orlando Magic also released a statement.

“We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of Janis Timma, who was a member of Orlando’s Summer League team in 2021 and spent time with Lakeland (now Osceola) of the NBA G League in 2021-22,” the Magic said.

“Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and all that were close to him.”

— This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission

Originally published as Tragic final post as NBA player’s body found on stairway entrance