Latvian basketball ace and former Orlando Magic player Janis Timma posted a somber video in the days leading up to his death on Monday.
The 32-year-old was discovered lifeless on the entrance stairway of a high-rise residential complex in Moscow.
Timma's untimely death came on the birthday of his ex-wife, Ukrainian singer and actor Anna Sedokova. Reports suggest that a phone with a message from Sedokova was next to Timma when his body was found.
The preliminary cause of death has been ruled as suicide.
Four days before his passing, Timma posted a video of him shooting around at an outdoor court in the rain. The clip was in black and white and showed silhouettes of him, the ball, the trees behind him, and the hoop.
While the clip was visually somber, it was soundtracked by an upbeat song; 'Boombastic' by reggae singer Shaggy.
Janis Timma posted a clip of him shooting around in the rain days before he was found dead
The 32-year-old played for the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic in his short NBA stint
Timma's death came on the birthday of his ex-wife, Ukrainian singer and actor Anna Sedokova
He is seen hitting a long-range shot before walking under the hoop and shooting a tear-drop before the clip ends. The video was posted without a caption.
Timma and Sedokova, married in 2020, had filed for divorce earlier this year. A devastated Sedokova posted an emotional message on Instagram on Tuesday morning.
The small forward was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 60th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He was later traded to the Orlando Magic, leading to an appearance at the 2021 NBA Summer League.
Timma also represented Latvia at several junior and senior tournaments and was part of the team that won the bronze medal in the 2010 FIBA U18 European Championship. He played 35 matches for his national team since his 2014 debut and scored 338 points.
More recently, he faced backlash when he announced his intention to play professionally in Russia despite the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. His decision signaled the end of his international career as Latvian athletes are banned from participating in Russian sports events.
'It's something interesting to me,' he told Latvian outlet LSM in October. '[I] Thought, why not give it a try?'
Timma struck a more forceful tone when responding to critics on Instagram after announcing his participation in a tournament organized by the Russian bookmarker Liga Stavok.
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.'
As reports of Timma's death began to circulate on social media, members of the NBA community, including Boston Celtics and Latvia star Kristaps Porzingis, expressed grief and disbelief.
'Oh nooo, please tell me it's not true,' he wrote on X following the initial reports. Porzingis later added: 'Human connection is the cornerstone of our mental health. Please, let's look after one another. Rest in peace, JT.'
