The body of 32-year-old Latvian basketball player Janis Timma was discovered in the stairwell of a tall residential building in Moscow on December 17, 2024. The local police have reported that Timma fell to his death, with an initial ruling of suicide.

Timma, the 60th overall selection by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA Draft, had moved to Moscow recently to play in a 3×3 basketball league. His decision to relocate to Russia amidst the ongoing Ukraine invasion stirred controversy and drew public criticism.

In a statement to Latvian media outlet LSM in October, Timma defended his relocation, saying, “It’s something interesting to me. Thought why not give it a try?”

Responding to criticism on social media, Timma said, “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.”

Timma’s professional basketball career took him across several countries and leagues. He started his career at age 15 with ASK Riga in Latvia. He later played for top European clubs like Zenit Saint Petersburg, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Olympiacos Piraeus, and Darussafaka Istanbul. While his rights were originally held by the Grizzlies, they were subsequently traded to the Orlando Magic. He had a stint with their G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, after participating in the Summer League.

His former spouse, Ukrainian singer and actress Anna Sedokova, urged social media users to refrain from sharing stories about his death in an emotional Instagram video. “I have a child, he’s small, he doesn’t need to know any of this. I just have to save my child from this information,” she said.

The relationship between Timma and Sedokova started in 2019, resulting in their marriage in September 2020. The pair filed for divorce earlier in 2024, with the proceedings recently concluded. Local media reports suggest a phone with a message from Sedokova was found near Timma’s body.

The day of Timma’s death coincided with Sedokova’s 42nd birthday.

In remembrance of Timma, the Euroleague Basketball organization has announced that a moment of silence will be observed before all EuroLeague Round 16 and EuroCup Round 12 games.