Shaq’s son Shaqir O’Neal reacts to death of NBA summer league pro Janis Timma

The basketball world was stunned by the loss of European star and NBA Summer League player Janis Timma, who died on Monday at the age of 32 by suspected suicide. The death prompted reactions from Shaquille O'Neal's family, namely his sons, Shaqir and Shareef.

Born in Latvia, Timma played a 16-year career of professional basketball throughout multiple leagues in Europe while spending a brief period with the NBA's Orlando Magic, specifically their G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic.

Shaqir found out about the news via Instagram, using a bird emoticon to express his condolences to Timma with a story post. His brother, Shareef, reacted with a "RIP (heart emoticon)" message on his story.

"🕊️," O'Neal posted.

Shaqir O'Neal's reaction to the death of Janis Timma on Instagram (Instagram).

How Janis Timma's career was going before death

Even though he never played an official NBA game, Janis Timma made a name for himself in the Summer League a few years before his death.

He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the last pick in 2013. With the franchise using him as a draft-and-stash, he remained in Latvia until the team traded his draft rights to the Orlando Magic in 2015.

Like his time in Memphis, he did not appear on the NBA hardwood for the Magic but did find an opportunity to showcase his skills in the 2022 Summer League with Orlando's G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic.

As for the O'Neal brothers, there is no direct connection between them and Timma. Shareef played for the Lakers in the Summer League the same year, but they were never teammates with Timma. As for Shaqir, he is currently playing college basketball at Florida A&M, so there was no way for the two to directly play on the same team.