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Once the NBA and basketball worlds were shocked by the news of European star Jānis Timma's death, reactions from fans and players around the world poured in. Shareef and Shaqir O'Neal, the sons of Shaquille O'Neal, were among the first to share their heartfelt responses.
The brothers shared their emotions on the news with respective Instagram story posts. Both re-posted an original post from the “League Alerts” account. Shareef O'Neal added the message “RIP [heart emoji]” to his story, while Shaqir O'Neal added a bird emoji with no text.
Timma, 32, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Dec. 16 from a suspected suicide, though an official cause of death is still being determined. The Latvia native spent the majority of his 16-year career with various Europe-based leagues but also spent time within the Orlando Magic organization. He never appeared in a regular season game for the Magic but spent 2022 with the Lakeland Magic, their G-League affiliate, before rising to social media fame in 2022 in the Summer League.
Timma entered the league in 2013 as the unofficial “Mr. Irrelevant” of the NBA Draft. The Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the 60th and final pick, but he did not ever appear with the team and instead remained in Latvia. Two years later, the Grizzlies traded his draft rights to the Magic.
Shareef O'Neal played in the NBA Summer League in 2022, the same year Timma went viral for his participation with the Magic. However, they were never teammates and had no known direct association.
Shaqir O'Neal also has no direct association with Timma. The 21-year-old is currently a junior at Florida A&M, where he averages 9.9 points per game off the bench. Both O'Neal brothers appear to just be big fans of the former social media sensation.
What happened to Jānis Timma?
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While the cause of Timma's death is still under investigation, initial reports suspected a suicide due to notes found on his phone. The 32-year-old's phone reportedly contained a “final wish” along with messages from his celebrity ex-wife, actress and singer Anna Sedokova.
At the time of his death, Timma's fans heavily criticized his decision to move to Russia to continue his career. Timma's native Latvia aligned with Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, thus upsetting fans with his decision. Sedokova is also Ukrainian, which caused her fans to also criticize his move.
Timma and Sedokova divorced in early 2024 after four years of marriage. His death fell on the exact date of her 42nd birthday, which further aroused suspicion.
In reaction to her ex-husband's untimely passing, Sedokova posted an emotional video on Instagram. The actress expressed the deep feelings she still felt for Timma despite their ongoing divorce while conveying her concerns regarding her children.
