Nike EYBL Player Dies After Collapsing On the Court

James Hampton, a 17-year-old player for Team United of the Nike EYBL summer basketball league, collapsed during a game on Saturday and died, according to USA Today.

"James Hampton fell to the hardwood with 9:37 left in the second half of Team United’s game against Nike Phamily (Ariz.) and appeared to be unresponsive. On-court trainers began CPR on Hampton and continued for more than 10 minutes until paramedics arrived. Nike EYBL staff cleared the gym and suspended play on all four courts for more than 35 minutes as paramedics performed CPR and transported Hampton to the ambulance and eventually to Sentara CarePlex Hospital, which is less than a mile away from the Boo Williams Sportsplex."

The Sporting News reported that Hampton had suffered seizures the year before, and tried to get the attention of a referee before collapsing.

"Team director Jacoby Davis said he saw Hampton run down the court, look toward an official and say, “Hey ref,” before collapsing. “He just fell down on the floor,” Davis said, via the News & Observer. “He had seizures a year ago and I remember (one of the Team United coaches) telling me that, ‘I saw his eyes rolling back in his head.’ I ran on the court thinking he was having a seizure. A trainer came over and said he didn’t know what was wrong. Another trainer checked his pulse. He said he didn’t have a pulse. It got crazy after that.”"

Known as “Big Game James,” Hampton was a two-star prospect in the class of 2019 known for his toughness.