Former Maccabi Tel Aviv signee Mikkail Torrance dies at 37

Former basketball player Mikkail Torrance has died at the age of 37, according to reports published Thursday, June 19, 2026. Torrance had been set to sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 2010, but the Israeli club later backed out after medical concerns emerged.

Torrance was born in Alabama, attended Montgomery High School, and played four years at the University of Alabama before going undrafted. Maccabi signed him after he completed college, but reversed course after he collapsed during a workout in Florida in August 2010. Five minutes into that practice, he fell and hit his head on the floor, stopped breathing for 10 minutes, and underwent prolonged resuscitation efforts that were ultimately successful.

He later failed the medical examinations needed to join Maccabi. American media reported that one reason he went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft was concern over an enlarged heart muscle. After the Maccabi move fell through, Torrance went on to play in Turkey, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, where he ended his basketball career in 2015.

After retiring, Torrance 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. The cause of death is still unknown.