Former Westchester High and UCLA basketball player William “Billy” Knight was found dead early Sunday morning at 2:45 a.m. on a Phoenix roadway. Phoenix Police responded after Knight was found by Phoenix Fire and pronounced dead.
The cause of Knight’s death will be determined by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner. No evidence of foul play was detected, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
Knight posted a six-minute video on YouTube on July 8 titled “Billy Knight ‘I’m Sorry Lord’”.
In the video, Knight speaks about his “life of sin”, and tells the viewers that it will be his “last message on earth.”
Knight, 39, played for UCLA from 1998-2002, averaging more than 14 points per game his senior season before entering into the 2002 NBA Draft where he was undrafted. Knight played professionally overseas including stints in France and Japan and worked as a basketball skills coach.
Notice of Knight’s death surfaced after fellow former UCLA player Lorenzo Mata tweeted “…Rest Easy Billy Knight…”. Mata’s tweet was posted early Tuesday morning at 12:43 a.m.
Sad. Sad. Sad. Rest Easy Billy Knight. Another bruin gone. Another athlete gone. Mental illness IS NOT A JOKE!!! I’m here for EVERYONE who needs to talk. We ALL go through problems. Don’t be AFRAID TO GET HELP!! #awareness #MentalHealthMatters #SpeakUp
— Lorenzo Mata “Matador” (@RealMataLo14) July 10, 2018
Many local basketball pundits took to Twitter to share their condolences, including longtime sports writers Frank Burlison and Ronnie Flores. Basketball coach Dinos Trigonis said on Twitter that he knew the Knight family for more than 20 years.
“The fatal news about former UCLA Billy Knight is devastating! Known the Knight family for 20+ years. Great people. Parents fantastic! Billy’s brother Eric played on my Belmont Shore squad in late 90s. Heartbroken!,” Trigonis wrote.
RIP … so sad … no one I’ve covered and Known worked as hard to become an outstanding player …and always just a pleasant young man to visit with in recent years …heartbreaking. Peace to his soul and to his family … https://t.co/44kkc7Nrgx
— Frank Burlison (@FrankieBur) July 10, 2018
It’s the second death of a former UCLA basketball player in the past week. Tyler Honeycutt died Saturday morning after a police standoff in Sherman Oaks.
