On December 17, 2024, the body of 32-year-old Latvian basketball player, Janis Timma, was found in a Moscow apartment complex’s stairway. Authorities have identified the cause of death as a suicide fall.
The former 60th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Timma had recently moved to Moscow to participate in a 3×3 basketball league. His decision to relocate to Russia amidst the ongoing Ukrainian conflict stirred public disapproval.
In an interview with LSM, a Latvian media outlet, in October, Timma defended his move, stating, “It’s something interesting to me. Thought why not give it a try?”
Responding to the negative attention on social media, Timma expressed, “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.”
Throughout his career, Timma played for multiple teams across numerous countries. He began his career with ASK Riga in Latvia at the age of 15, later joining renowned European clubs like Zenit Saint Petersburg, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Olympiacos Piraeus, and Darussafaka Istanbul. The Memphis Grizzlies initially drafted him, but his rights were later traded to the Orlando Magic. He had a brief stint with their G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, after participating in their Summer League.
Timma’s ex-wife, Ukrainian singer and actress Anna Sedokova, responded to his death with an emotional video on Instagram, pleading with the public to refrain from sharing stories about his death. “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.”
Timma and Sedokova started their relationship in 2019 and married in September 2020. The couple finalized their divorce earlier in 2024. Local media reports claim that authorities found a phone with a message from Sedokova near Timma’s body.
The day of Timma’s death coincided with Sedokova’s birthday.
The Euroleague Basketball organization announced that all EuroLeague Round 16 and EuroCup Round 12 games would observe a moment of silence in memory of Timma.