Former Louisiana State University basketball player Danielle Ballard died early Thursday morning after she was struck by a vehicle in Memphis, Tennessee, police said. She was 29.
The Memphis Police Department said in a tweet officers responded to a pedestrian hit by a vehicle around 1:26 a.m. and 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 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.”
LSU described Ballard as a “standout basketball player” at the school from 2012 to 2015, where she averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists over her three seasons on the team.
Ballard, a native of Shelby County, Tennessee, played guard for the team and helped bring the Tigers to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances at 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.
