Janis Timma’s ex-wife speaks out after the former NBA hopeful died at the age of 32
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Janis Timma’s ex-wife speaks out after the former NBA hopeful died at the age of 32

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Former Orlando Magic G League player Janis Timma has apparently died by suicide, according to Russian media.

He was 32.

The Magic announced Timma’s death Tuesday morning.

Janis Timma of the Orlando Magic shoots a free throw against the Detroit Pistons during the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League on August 16, 2021 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NBAE via Getty Images

The Latvian forward, who never made it to the NBA and spent most of his career abroad, was found dead in an apartment building in central Moscow on Monday, according to Russian media.

“The body of 32-year-old Janis Timma was discovered in the entrance hall of a residential building in downtown Moscow. According to unconfirmed reports, the cause of death was suicide,” an unnamed emergency official told Russian news agency TASS, adding that a cellphone was found near Timma’s body.

The Ren TV channel reported that the phrase “Call Anya” appeared on Timma’s phone.

Anya is reportedly the nickname of Timma’s ex-wife, Russian-Ukrainian singer Anna Sedokova, who filed for divorce earlier this year.

The ex-couple, who had no children together, were married for four years and their divorce was reportedly finalized earlier this month.

Sedokova, who turned 42 on Monday, burst into tears in a video she posted to her Instagram Story on Tuesday.

Anna Sedokova reacts to the death of her ex-husband Janis Timma in an emotional video on her Instagram story on December 17, 2024. Instagram/Anna Sedokova

“I never understood how people who have something like that in their lives could record stories,” Sedokova said in Russian in the clip, according to Newsweek. “But now I beg you, I have a child, he is small, he should not know anything.

“You have no idea what kind of hell I’ve been through these last few years. I just have to protect my child from this information. Please, I ask you not to share anything.”

Sedokova did not provide any further details.

Janis Timma in November 2024. Instagram/Janis Timma
Anna Sedokova performs at the Dosso Dossi Fashion Show afterparty at Insight – Moscow on August 28, 2019 in Moscow, Russia. Getty Images for Dosso Dossi

No official cause of death was announced as of Monday.

According to the Baza Telegram news channel, Timma died of suffocation.

In February, Timma signed with Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB.

“Rest in peace JT,” Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, a fellow Latvian forward, wrote on his Instagram Story, including a picture of Timma.

John Hollinger, a senior NBA columnist for The Athletic — and former vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies — expressed his condolences in a message on X.

Janis Timma #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies poses for a portrait on July 1, 2013 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NBAE via Getty Images

“I just heard from Janis Timma. Damn,” Hollinger wrote. “We drafted him 60th in 2013 and I got to spend some time with him in Latvia while we had his rights. Never made it to the NBA but had a great career in Europe. I talked to him at Summer League two years ago and he seemed like he was doing well. RIP my friend.”

Timma played for BC Zenit St. Petersburg and BC Khimki between 2015 and 2021, both clubs expressed their condolences on social media.

Timma was a member of Orlando’s Summer League team in 2021 and spent time with Lakeland (now Osceola) of the NBA G League in 2021-22.

“Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and everyone who was close to him,” the Magic said in a statement.

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