NBA, Pistons facing lawsuit over death of G League player Zeke Upshaw, family attorney says
The mother of Zeke Upshaw, the G League player who collapsed during a game in March and died two days later, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NBA, the Detroit Pistons, the SSJ Group that owns the G League team, and the DeltaPlex Arena.
Upshaw was a member of the Pistons' G League affiliate, Grand Rapids Drive, who was playing in the final game of the G League's regular season when he collapsed on the court in the final minute of the game. The lawsuit claims that no one performed lifesaving measures after Upshaw collapsed, which ultimately led to his demise.
"Despite this undeniable dire situation, no life-saving measures were attempted, no CPR was initiated and no defibrillator was used," a statement released Wednesday from representing attorney Ben Crump's office read.
The suit alleges that Upshaw laid on the court for nearly four minutes before being moved off with a stretcher, which was "a direct result of the negligence of the Defendants named in this litigation."
Upshaw played college basketball for Illinois State and Hofstra and spent the last two seasons with the Pistons' G League team.