Former basketball player Mikail Torrance has died at the age of 37 in the United States, according to reports on Thursday. Torrance, who had been set to sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 2010, never joined the club after medical issues ended the deal. The cause of death has not yet been made public.
Torrance was born in Alabama, attended Montgomery High School, and played four years at the University of Alabama before going undrafted. Maccabi Tel Aviv signed him after his college career, but later withdrew after he collapsed during a training session in Florida in August 2010. About five minutes into the workout, he fell and hit his head on the floor, stopped breathing for 10 minutes, and underwent prolonged resuscitation efforts that eventually succeeded.
After further examinations, Torrance did not pass the required medical tests, and Maccabi Tel Aviv decided not to add him to the roster. U.S. media said one reason he went undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft was concern over an enlarged heart muscle.
Following that episode, Torrance continued his career in Turkey, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, where he retired from basketball in 2015. After leaving the game, he worked as a real estate agent and also collaborated with the U.S. military. He is survived by his parents, his wife and two daughters.
