The basketball world is mourning the passing of Billy Knight. The death of the former UCLA basketball shooting guard, whose long overseas career included stints with four pro teams in Japan, has sent shock waves throughout the sport.
The Los Angeles native, who was 39, was pronounced dead in Phoenix on Sunday. His body was found on a road near downtown Phoenix at 2:45 a.m., Phoenix police said, according to published reports. It was an apparent suicide. (But subsequent reporting has emerged painting a much fuller picture of the troubles — child sexual abuse charges — that Knight encountered before his death.)
Last weekend, Knight broadcast his intention to take his own life in a haunting 6-minute video entitled "Billy Knight 'I am Sorry Lord' " that he posted on YouTube. The video surfaced shortly thereafter, with a barrage of social media messages from former teammates, UCLA alumni and Los Angeles-area basketball contacts seeking to contact him and offer encouragement and help.