Missing UCLA Basketball Star Dead At 22 After Taking Mental Health Break

perezhilton.com:

Former University of California Los Angeles basketball player Jalen Hill has passed away after taking a mental health break — and going missing in Costa Rica. Related: Woman Found Dead In Department Store Bathroom FOUR Days Later Jalen played for the UCLA Bruins for three seasons before he officially left the team in February 2021 for “personal reasons”.

Later, he spoke with the Los Angeles Times to clarify he needed a mental health break. In April of last year he told the outlet he struggled greatly with depression and anxiety: He also posted a video to his Instagram the same month, saying he felt like his mental state was “damaging” the team’s performance: Sadly, Hill would never return to the court, as his family confirmed on Tuesday via his dad George Hill‘s Instagram the athlete has tragically passed away after mysteriously going missing.

The post, on the now private page, shows a photo of his son from a Sports Illustrated shoot, and reads of the family’s heartbreak: The post continues to say Jalen had gone missing in Costa Rica a while ago — he died in August but the parents only “recently” found out about their son’s passing: So, so sad.

It finishes by asking for privacy as they try and navigate this unimaginable time in their lives: Heartbreaking. He was only 22 years old… The 6-foot-10 basketball star was a driving force in the Bruins’ 2019-2020 team.