With most of the basketball world focused on Kevin Durant's return to Oklahoma City, a sad bit of news trickled out of Brazil this evening. Former Celtics and Syracuse big man Fab Melo has passed away in his home country, according to reports.
The news broke via Adam Zagoria of the New York Times:
People from around the basketball world, from media to players, were shocked by the news of his passing:
Melo is perhaps best known for his time at Syracuse, where he featured as the centerpiece of the Orange's infamous 2-3 zone. After sputtering through his freshman season -- he played only 10 minutes per game and shot 36 percent from the free-throw line -- Melo returned for his sophomore year having shed some weight and with a renewed focus on the defensive end. His transformation helped boost the Orange to a 34-3 record, and his 2.9 blocks per game during the 2011-12 season garnered enough attention to earn the Big East's Defensive Player of the Year award.
The man in the middle for Syracuse was also a prominent figure in the scandal that discredited that 34-3 team. Melo missed the 2012 NCAA Tournament after Syracuse ruled him ineligible to play, and failed to elaborate on specifics at the time. An NCAA investigation conducted a few years later concluded that Syracuse staffers and advisors attempted to get Melo's grades changed in order to keep him eligible, which eventually led to the program vacating all 34 wins from that season.
Melo ended up forgoing his final two years of NCAA eligibility, and had to account for his issues in the lead-up to the 2012 NBA Draft. He was the one to reveal academics were at the center of the story, and explained that his difficulty was part of a tough transition in a new country.
"It was academic," the native Brazilian said at the time. "They ask, I explain (what) happened -- that I came from another country and until four years ago didn't even speak English."
Melo ended up being selected with the 22nd pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and played in the NBA for just one season before being traded to and waived by the Memphis Grizzlies. He bounced around from the NBA D-League to Puerto Rico, eventually settling back in his home country of Brazil. Prior to his death, Melo was playing back home for Brazilian club team Uniceb-BRB-Brasilia.
Melo was 26 years old.
This story is developing...
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