Former UCLA basketball player Jalen Hill has died at the age of 22, the school confirmed Wednesday morning (Sep 21).
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said in a statement that Hill’s death was “heart-breaking,” adding that the former Bruins forward “was a warm-hearted young man with a big smile who leave us far too soon.”
Jalen Hill's Announched Death Following His Disappearance in Costa Rica
Hill’s family said in an Instagram post that they recently learned of Hill’s death following his disappearance in Costa Rica, but gave no further details.
“We know Jaylen has played a role in many people’s lives,” his family wrote in an Instagram post. “We also acknowledge the role that many of you have played in him. We ask that you give us time to grieve as we try to navigate this devastating time in our lives.”
Hill’s coach at Centennial High School in Corona, California, Josh Giles, told the Los Angeles Times that Hill was “a great basketball player, but I just love him as a person.”
“I’m stunned, I don’t even have any emotions right now,” said Giles, who also told The Times that he had been in touch with Hill’s family. “It’s next-level devastating to hear something like that.”
The 6-foot-10 Hill, who played part of three seasons at UCLA before retiring after the 2020-21 season, announced his decision in an Instagram video, citing in anxiety and depression. He left the team in February 2021 but didn’t state his status until April, saying he didn’t want to distract the Bruins from reaching the Final Four.
“I had to distance myself because the headspace I was in was hurting the team,” Hill said in the video and explained that he didn’t want to limit them to their goals either.
Hill was one of three UCLA players, along with LiAngelo Ball and Cody Riley, who were arrested in China in November 2017 on shoplifting charges. He was suspended for the 2017-18 season, but returned the following season and played in 77 games, averaging 6.5 points and 6.4 rebounds during his career with the Bruins.
