Lithuanian and Russian media reported that the 32-year-old’s body had been found, although reports appeared to vary as to whether he was found in a residential building or a hotel. The death was reported by the official TASS news agency. A cause of death was not given.

As previously reported by LSM, Timma announced in October that he intended to play professionally in Russia despite that country’s invasion of Ukraine. His move sparked a backlash and marked the end of his international career, as Latvian athletes are banned from participating in Russian sporting events as a direct result of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“This is something interesting for me,” Timma said at the time. “(I) thought, ‘Why don’t you give it a try?’” He shrugged off criticism of his decision. According to media reports, he has also been experiencing marital problems and emotional problems in recent months.

Timma, who played his first game for the national team in 2014, played 35 games for the Latvia national team, scoring 338 points.

The last time Timma played for the Latvian national team was at the Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Paris at the beginning of July.

Aside from being a professional basketball player, he is also part of the US-registered fitness and nutritional supplement company FitSpace.

Tell us about a mistake