During Monday night’s In-Season Tournament game between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center, a fan tragically died after experiencing a medical emergency.
Efforts were quickly made to save the fan’s life, but they were unsuccessful.
The Kings issued a statement during the game on the matter.
“During the first quarter of the Kings vs. Pelicans game, a guest had a medical emergency,” the statement said. “EMS immediately responded and administered CPR. Tragically, these efforts were unsuccessful and the guest passed away. The organization offers its deepest condolences to the guest’s family and loved ones.”
According to FOX40 News, the victim was unresponsive when medics arrived, and he was pronounced dead after 20 minutes.
Gregorio “Greg” Florez Breedlove, a student at California State University, Sacramento (better known as Sacramento State) was the victim. Breedlove was 34 years old.
According to his family, he was a loving person who aspired to help others, and his sights were set on a career working with athletes. He was scheduled to graduate in May to earn his bachelor’s degree in nutrition, food and dietetics, and he planned to go to chiropractic school.
Breedlove was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation months ago, per his family, although his official cause of death remains unknown.
Kings forward Keegan Murray said after the game that the squad wasn’t aware of the situation “at all” and sent condolences to the family on behalf of the team.
“As a team, we give our condolences,” Murray said. “Hopefully, the family is being taken care of.”
Kings guard Malik Monk also addressed the tragedy on social media, sending his condolences to the family.
Heard the news about the fan tonight my condolences goes out to the family. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🕊️
— Malik Monk (@AhmadMonk) December 5, 2023
Janet Florez, the victim’s mother, shared more about her son. She revealed the Boston Celtics were Breedlove’s favorite team but that his love for the Kings grew during his time at Sac State.
“He rooted for the Kings — as long as they weren’t playing the Celtics,” Florez said.
Florez added that Breedlove served as a positive role model for his family and that they shared an extremely close mother-son relationship.
“He impacted my life because he brought me so much joy,” Florez said. “He loved me so much. We were like two peas in a pod.”
More details surrounding the death may become available in the future.
