A new lawsuit on behalf of former Grand Rapids Drive player Zeke Upshaw has been filed in a Michigan federal court.
The lawsuit was filed in Detroit federal court on Oct. 22 by Upshaw's mother, Jewel Upshaw. It names the same four defendants as the one filed in New York in May on behalf of Upshaw, an NBA G League player who collapsed on the court at the end of a game at the DeltaPlex Arena on March 24 and died two days later.
The suit filed in New York was voluntarily dropped in August, according to law360.com. In the story, Bob Hilliard, Upshaw's attorney, said it was moved due to additional Michigan-based defendants.
"The issue, be it unraveled in NY or Michigan, is exactly the same: Why did the NBA let Zeke lay on the court for over 10 minutes with an unbeating heart without implanting a single life saving procedure," Hilliard, said via law360.com.
The suit alleges the NBA, the Detroit Pistons, the Drive's ownership group of SSJ Group LLC and the DeltaPlex Arena of being unprepared when Upshaw collapsed during the last minute of the last regular season game.
Among others, the suit alleges Upshaw had a diagnosable condition of cardiomyopathy that was ignored by the organization and that, when he collapsed, medical staff was unprepared and did not respond properly.
When contacted, Drive president Steve Jbarra provided a text statement, "We will continue to support Zeke's family, as he will always be a member of our Drive family."
A team spokesman said the team does not have anything planned to honor Upshaw.
Last season, the Drive wore his number on their uniforms in their lone playoff appearance four days after his death. The Pistons also gave him a memorial call up to the team March 29.
Drive second-year coach Ryan Krueger, whose team opens the season Friday, vowed Upshaw would be remembered.
"We kind of continue to mourn the loss of Zeke, that's something that will always be with me," Krueger said Wednesday during the Drive's media day. "But at the end of the day, we have two guys that were here last year and a brand new group of guys who weren't a part of last season for us.
"But he's a part of our team and we'll talk about him as long as I'm here. He's going to continue to be a part of the culture and fabric of the Grand Rapids Drive."