Former UCLA basketball player Billy Knight was found dead early Sunday morning in Arizona at age 39.
Officials pronounced Knight dead around 2:45 a.m. Sunday after the Phoenix fire department found Knight on a roadway, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. No evidence of foul play was found, according to the report.
Knight’s death comes after he posted a July 8 video on YouTube.
“This is probably my last message on Earth,” Knight says on the video we’re not linking to. He talks about depression and apologizes to loved ones in the video.
Former Bruins, media respond to Billy Knight’s death
Former Bruin Lorenzo Mata shared the news on Twitter early Tuesday encouraging people struggling with mental health concerns to seek help.
Sad. Sad. Sad. Rest Easy Billy Knight. Another bruin gone. Another athlete gone. Mental illness IS NOT A JOKE!!! I’m here for EVERYONE who needs to talk. We ALL go through problems. Don’t be AFRAID TO GET HELP!! #awareness #MentalHealthMatters #SpeakUp
— Lorenzo Mata “Matador” (@RealMataLo14) July 10, 2018
CalHi Sports journalist Ronnie Flores reports that members of the UCLA basketball community attempted to reach out to Knight after the video was posted.
His former teammates and others saw the video. Yesterday evening, UCLA family, myself and others in basketball community were trying to reach out to Billy Knight. By 10 pm PT , it was frantic and serious, as he was in Phoenix/Sedona area. This is devastating news for many.
— Ronnie Flores (@RonMFlores) July 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/RealTracyMurray/status/1016738367176708096
Knight played guard for the Bruins from 1997-2002 where he averaged 8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, including 14.1 points per game in a breakout senior year where he started all 33 games. He played in the D-League and in France and Japan after college.
Knight’s death comes just days after former UCLA basketball player Tyler Honeycutt fatally shot himself during a standoff with police on Friday.
