Former Louisiana State University basketball player Danielle Ballard died early Thursday after being struck by a vehicle in Memphis, Tennessee, police said. She was 29 years old.
The Memphis Police Department he said in a tweet Officers responded to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at around 1:26 a.m. and she was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
LSU said in a statement Ballard died in a «tragic accident.»
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Danielle,” the university said. “She meant a lot to our program and she was a very important part of our women’s basketball family. It’s hard to understand why this happened to someone who was so full of life and promised so much.»
LSU described Ballard as an «outstanding basketball player» at the school from 2012 to 2015, where she averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists during her three seasons with the team.
Ballard, a native of Shelby County, Tennessee, played guard for the team and helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. She also earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2015, SEC All-Freshman honors in 2013, and was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team twice.
The driver of the vehicle, who has not been publicly identified, remained on the scene after the incident and the investigation is still ongoing, police said.