The playoff game between Raptors 905 and the Grand Rapids Drive originally scheduled for Wednesday has been moved to Friday at 7 p.m. at Hershey Centre.
The G League bumped the entire first round from Tuesday-Wednesday games to Friday-Saturday games. If the 905 defeat Grand Rapids, they would then visit the Westchester Knicks for a one-game series on Monday (7 p.m.).
If the 905 advance, they'd visit Westchester on Monday (7pm) for the next round.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) March 26, 2018
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The changes come following the passing of Grand Rapids player Zeke Upshaw. Upshaw collapsed on the court with under a minute to play on Saturday, reportedly suffered cardiac arrest, and spent the last few days in the care of physicians at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Drive released the following on Monday:
Statement from Jewel Upshaw, Zeke’s mother: “After continued efforts from the medical team at Spectrum Health, Zeke made his transition at 11:16 am. To family, friends, teammates, coaches, fans & confidants, thank you for your prayers and support during this most difficult time. Details of his memorial will be announced at a later date. We’d like to thank the many doctors and nurses at Spectrum Health for their efforts in caring for our son. We’d also like to thank the Drive for the support they have extended to our family.”
Statement from the Drive: “The Drive family is mourning the tragic loss of Zeke Upshaw. He had a warm personality and was a tremendous representative of our organization both on and off the court. Our thoughts are with all of Zeke’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
G League president Malcolm Turner issued the following statement:
“The NBA G League family is devastated by the tragic passing of Zeke Upshaw. Zeke was an outstanding young man whose powerful belief in himself and uncommon perseverance led to a successful professional basketball career. A beloved member of the Grand Rapids Drive, Zeke’s continuous improvement and tireless work ethic were hallmarks of his career. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends and the Drive organization.”
Raptors 905 have yet to issue an official statement, though several players in the organization have expressed their sadness on social media. You can see some other response from around the basketball community over at Yahoo Sports.
Rip Zeke 😢😢
— Kennedy Meeks (@Asapmeeks03) March 26, 2018
Continued prayers to the Upshaw family and friends
— Malcolm Miller (@MalcMili13) March 26, 2018
Our thoughts go out to Upshaw’s family, friends, and the entire G League community. He was as kind and as well-liked as any G League player I’ve come across.
