Former LSU women’s basketball player Danielle Ballard has died at the of 29 after being hit by a car.
The incident happened at around 1.30am Thursday, Memphis Police Department said.
Officers, who responded to a pedestrian being struck at Coleman Road and Raleigh-Lagrange Road, reported the ex-player was taken to the hospital.
Ballard was taken to Regional One Health, according to WREG-TV, but was later pronounced dead.
A statement from cops read: ‘The driver stayed on the scene… This is an ongoing investigation.’
Ballard was “a standout basketball player” at Louisiana State University from 2012-15 — leading LSU to the NCAA Sweet 16, reports the school’s statement on Thursday. She averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 steals in her three seasons.
The basketball player’s honors included Louisiana Freshman of the Year, MVP of the women’s basketball team, and an All-SEC Defensive Team selection.
In high school, Ballard was ranked #25 overall among female high school players in the nation. She led her Memphis Central team to its first class 3A state title in 89 years.
Her alma mater took to Twitter to send their condolences following Ballard’s death.
“LSU mourns the loss of Danielle Ballard,” the university noted, adding a photo of Ballard playing basketball.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Danielle. She meant a great deal to our program and was such a big part of our women’s basketball family. It’s difficult to understand why this happened to someone who was so full of life and had so much promise. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends,” the statement read.
The comments flooded with support, with one person writing, “Rest in peace 😞.”
“God bless her and her family,” another person wrote.
