LSU Basketball star Danielle Ballard dead at 29

Danielle Ballard was a standout basketball player on the LSU women’s basketball team has been killed overnight in her hometown of Memphis.

Ballard was walking alone at around 1:30am on the 13th of July when she was struck by a driver.

As part of their statement on the incident, the Memphis Police Department acknowledged that “the driver stayed on the scene”.

Whilst the driver is yet to be charged with any crimes, the police will continue their investigation into what happened.

After emergency services arrived, Ballard was taken to Regional One Health Hospital in Memphis but was pronounced dead once there.

The LSU athletics department has released a statement saying, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Danielle… She meant a great deal to our program and was such a big part of our women's basketball family.”

The statement continues, “It's difficult to understand why this happened to someone who was so full of life and had so much promise. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."

Ballard was a very talented player during her basketball career, standing at 5’9” and playing as a point guard, she was ranked as the number 25 recruit in the country after leading Memphis Central High School to a state championship.

Ballard continued her career at LSU after High School where she continued to show her talent, averaging 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals during her three seasons on the team.

During her sophomore season at LSU, Ballard was nominated for the First Team All-SEC team after leading her Tigers side to the Sweet Sixteen a the March Madness tournament.

During her freshman and junior years, Ballard’s defensive skills shone through as she dominated on the back end, earning two nominations for the SEC All-Defensive team as a result.

LSU Women’s Basketball tweeted an image of Ballard with the words “LSU mourns the loss of Danielle Ballard” where they attached their statement mourning her loss.

Ballard’s death has seen an outpouring of grief on social media, with teammates, opponents, and ex-coaches expressing their grief at her passing.

Kenia Cole, an assistant coach on the William & Mary Women’s Basketball program, tweeted, “Danielle Ballard crossed one of my teammates up so bad when we played LSU. She was [an] absolute problem in between those lines. May she RIP. Praying for the LSU family.”

Coach Markell Cox, who heads up the Bluefield University Women's Basketball program tweeted, “It’s a sad day. We legit just talked about her this past weekend. RIP.”

Under the statement tweeted by the LSU Women’s Basketball official account, fans can be seen expressing their own grief at Ballard’s passing. With many acknowledging her undeniable talent on the court.