Jānis Timma passed away at the age of just 32, with reports in Russia stating that his body was found at the entrance of an apartment building in Moscow.

According to widespread reports, Timma is suspected to have committed suicide; however, this has not been confirmed.

Russian news website news.ru  indicates that next to the Latvian forward’s body, his phone was found with a screensaver displaying the phrase “Call Anna,” referring to Anna Sedokova, his ex-wife and well-known singer. The two had officially separated on December 9.

Who Was Jānis Timma

Standing 2.01m (6 ft 7 in), Timma was born in 2992 in Latvia and was known for his role as a small forward.

His professional career began in Latvia with DSN Rīga and Liepājas Lauvas before gaining prominence with Ventspils, where he won the Baltic Basketball League title and the Latvian League MVP award. Timma later played for top clubs including VEF Rīga, Zenit St. Petersburg, Baskonia, Olympiacos, and Khimki Moscow. Despite being selected in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, he never played in the NBA but briefly joined the Orlando Magic’s Summer League team in 2021.

Timma’s international career was equally notable, representing Latvia at various tournaments, including EuroBasket 2015 and 2017, as well as the 2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Off the court, Timma’s striking appearance and tattooed look garnered attention. He last played for Monbus Obradoiro in Spain’s Liga ACB.

Timma played for Olympiacos during the 2018-19 season and was considered one of David Blatt’s major signings that year. As part of Olympiacos, the Latvian averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds with 38% shooting from three-point range in 14 minutes per game in the Greek league, and 3.4 points with 40.4% three-point shooting in 11 minutes per game in the EuroLeague.