LATE basketball player Janis Timma’s ex-wife Anna Sedokov has posted a tearful video to social media after the sportsman was found dead in Moscow.
Timma, who had a great career playing for teams like Zenit Saint Petersburg and Orlando Magic, reportedly fell from an apartment complex and was found in the stairway of the building.
InstagramTimma tragically died on Anna’s birthday[/caption]
InstagramAnna posted a heartbreaking video to Instagram[/caption]
GettyJanis Timma has died aged 32[/caption]
The preliminary cause of the athlete’s death has been ruled as suicide.
Timma’s ex, popular Ukrainian singer and actress Anna Sedokova, uploaded a heartbreaking video to Instagram after the news circulated of his death.
In the seconds-long clip, Anna begged her followers to keep her child out of controversies and that fans should keep the news of Timma’s apparent suicide to themselves.
She said: “I beg you very much.
“I’ve wondered my whole life how people who have something like this happen to them can still post stories and now, I’m asking you very strongly – I have a child, he’s small, he doesn’t need to know any of this.”
Without giving details, Anna added: “You have no idea what hell I have lived through over the last few years.
“I just have to save my child from this information. If you can, please keep it to yourself.”
Anna and Timma married in 2020 but had filed for divorce earlier this year.
They do not have any children together, but Anna is a mum to three children from previous relationships, according to Newsweek.
Timma died unexpectedly on Anna’s 42nd birthday.
InstagramAnna married Latvian professional basketball player Janis Timma in September 2020[/caption]
InstagramThe couple had no children together[/caption]
InstagramThe couple filed for divorce earlier in 2024[/caption]
A phone containing a message from Anna was reportedly found next to him when Timma’s body was recovered on Monday, local media reports.
The NBA ace had recently faced backlash when he announced his intention to play professionally in Putin’s Russia despite his brutal invasion of Ukraine.
He told Latvian outlet LSM in October: “It’s something interesting to me.
“[I] Thought why not give it a try?”
Timma then slammed Instagram critics after announcing he would be competing in a tournament organised by Liga Stavok, a Russian bookmarker.
He wrote: “How useless you 99 per cent of my dear followers are.
“Leave my family alone at least. It’s my decision, and I don’t see anything wrong with it. I play basketball and live my life.”
Born on July 2, 1992, in Krāslava, Latvia, Janis Tima began his professional basketball journey in Latvia, playing for several clubs in the Latvian Basketball League (LBL).
He gained recognition in top European leagues, playing for teams like VEF Rīga, Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia, and Baskonia in Spain.
Typically playing as a small forward or shooting guard, he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 60th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Timma explored opportunities outside Europe, including playing in the NBA Summer League and a brief stint with the Lakeland Magic in the NBA G League – an Orlando Magic affiliate.
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InstagramAnna wept in the Instagram video as she begged fans to keep the news from her child[/caption]
InstagramPopular Ukrainian singer and actor Anna Sedokova with the late Janis Timma[/caption]