Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin’s 2-year-old grandson died Saturday, the team confirmed Monday.
Jayce D. Griffin, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, was found unresponsive by his father in Champaign, Illinois, Saturday morning. Police responded to help, and Jayce was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Preliminary autopsy results on Monday didn’t reveal any evidence of trauma or foul play, per the report, though specifics are still not known. The death is still under investigation. Jayce’s father is Alan Griffin, one of Adrian Griffin’s two sons. Jasmine Riggs, Jayce’s mother, told CBS 58 that Alan was watching Jayce on Friday night and Saturday.
“My grandson Jayce was very special to me and my family and his passing is an agonizing tragedy that will be felt forever. I appreciate your respecting our family’s grief and privacy at this time,” Griffin said in a statement, via the Journal Sentinel.
Alan played at both Illinois and Syracuse, and he most recently played on the Bucks’ summer league team. His younger brother, A.J. Griffin, currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Bucks fired coach Mike Budenholzer after they were knocked out of the playoffs last season. They then hired Adrian Griffin in May after his stint as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors. It will mark his first head coaching job in the league.
