Wearing sneakers adorned with the message "Team Waters!" and "Waters Way!" Boston Celtics rookie Tremont Waters scored 16 points and had three assists in a summer league playoff game just days after the death of his father.
Ed Waters, 49, was found dead in a West Haven, Connecticut, hotel on Thursday, according to police. The medical examiner's office on Friday ruled Waters' death a suicide.
Tremont Waters wrote a message on his sneakers in memory of his father, who passed away on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/glKI7y0G6A
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 13, 2019
Tremont Waters did not speak with reporters after Saturday's game in Las Vegas, a 94-88 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies that eliminated the Celtics from the summer league playoffs.
"From the Celtics side, from the top down, everyone has offered and done as much as they can to help him; that's obviously a lot more important than summer league basketball," Celtics coach Scott Morrison told reporters after the game. "It was his choice to stay and play. He felt that was the best way he wanted to deal with it.
"I thought he played great, especially with all of those considerations. So we're just here to support him and do all we can to help him. Just a really unfortunate situation."
A point guard out of LSU, Waters was drafted in the second round (No. 51 overall) by the Celtics in last month's NBA draft.